The Hunters of Artemis Chronicles
by Wolf of the Black Rose
Summary: Along with Syrus and Bastion, thirteen girls with their own secrets enter Duel Academy. Is Duel Academy ready for them and what mayhem they could cause? There's also a girl with long brown hair that has a connection one of the teachers and their pro-duelist brother, and she has her own dark secrets to hide.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, guys! New fanfiction here and in this one we're going to have some major girl power!**

 **Sakura: As well as cat girls, super spies, hunters, samurai, angels, ninjas, witches, vampires, magic, psychic powers, shadow magic, and so much more.**

 **As well as the usual insanity that that comes with Duel Academy. Sakura! Disclaimer!**

 **Sakura: Wolf doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, she only owns her characters and any cards she comes up with. Any OC cards she uses go to their owners. Should also mention Jaden's going to be a girl in this story and Koyo Hibiki is going to her step dad.**

 **Let's do this! Enjoy!**

Chapter 1: New Age of Duelists

Welcome to Domino City, home of some of the world's greatest duelists, including Seto Kaiba the CEO of Kaiba Corp., Joey Wheeler, a duelist with an extreme amount of good luck, and the King of Games himself: Yugi Muto. It's also home to the Kaiba Dome, where young duelists come to apply for the most famous dueling school in the country: Duel Academy. In fact, one duelist was on her way there right now. Her name: Lizabeth Chaundler, most commonly known as Liz.

"Alright, girls, time to show this school the true meaning of the phrase 'girl power'." Liz said as she looked over her deck and walked up the hill towards her destination.

She had mid-neck length chestnut brown hair with spiked ends and a small bit pulled up in a ponytail. She had dull pink eyes and tan skin. She was shorter than most fifteen year olds, but she was built for adventures. She was wearing a pair of blue cargo jeans, a sleeveless camo hooded shirt, black boots, a brown cowboy hat, and brown fingerless gloves.

As soon as she got there, she registered for the tests and had her deck checked for illegal cards. After a while, she was shown to the duel field where all students, new and old, were hanging out and checking out the competition. Most of the students she noticed wore red, yellow, or blue uniforms. ' _Must be Academy students.'_

Down below, Liz noticed a duel going on between a boy about her age wearing a grayish-white uniform and a dueling proctor. On the field in front of the proctor were two defense position monsters known as Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200) and Big Shield Guardna (100/2600). The monster opposing the duel proctor was Vorse Raider (1900/1200) and there was also a face down spell/trap card.

"Alright new guy," The proctor called to the boy. "Multiple choice; you have two monsters staring ya down, do you A: throw in the towel, B: beg for mercy, or C: run home to mama?"

"I'll go with D: none of the above!" The boy with dark hair announced before the face down flipped up.

"A trap!?" the proctor asked, shocked.

"Exactly," Bastion said with a smirk and then went on to explain. "You see, with Ring of Destruction I can destroy any monster on the field that's in attack position and we both take damage equal to its attack points."

A ring of red bombs appeared around Vorse Raider's neck and exploded on impact, dropping the boy's life points to 1300. while the proctor's dropped to zero ending the duel. The holograms disappeared and the proctor spoke.

"Clever move, applicant," He said. "Welcome to the academy."

The boy bowed and said, "Thank you oh wise proctor."

' _Nice one.'_ Liz thought. _Not many duelists can sacrifice their monster's with the odds being completely in their favor like that.'_

Up in the stands, she saw three boys wearing Obelisk Blue uniforms who also watched the boy's duel.

"Wow, that guy's pretty good don'tcha think, Chazz?" The boy with blue hair, glasses, and a southern accent said.

"Guess the rumors about him being some kind of whiz kid were true, hun Chazz, huh?" The boy with short, spiky brown hair asked in a thick voice.

"He's a punk." The person they were talking to, a spiky, black haired kid named Chazz, said. "We went to Duel Prep school for the past three years, we're ready for the academy. These kids don't know what they're getting into, but they'll learn… the hard way, the Chazz Princeton way."

' _Chazz Princeton, huh?'_ Liz thought, then smirked. ' _No amount of prep schooling's gonna help you if you ever get in the arena with me.'_

She looked across the room and saw a group of twelve girls sitting by the stairs down to the arena floors. She was going to call out to them, but decided to wait until after her duel.

"Lizabeth Chaundler please report to Dueling Field #2," A voice over the PA announced.

' _My turn… '_ She thought as she went to the field that was called.

Meanwhile, in another part of the dome, a short boy, with sky blue hair and glasses was also watching Bastion's duel along with a girl about his age. She had a model's build, long brown hair that reached her mid-back with a light brown patch on top, and chocolate brown eyes. She was wearing a black jacket over a red halter top, blue jeans, black leather ankle boots, and a silver studded black belt. She also had red nail polish and light pink lip gloss.

"Wow, that last guy really tore it up." She said.

Syrus looked at her, blushing that a pretty girl was near him. "Yeah, Bastion Misawa; they said he got the highest score on the written exam out of all us applicants."

"Wow, I was just told I got a passing grade." The brunette said.

"I just barely passed. My name's Syrus by the way, nice to meet you." Syrus then looked away slightly depressed. "I kinda have this thing where I get test anxiety. I don't know how I won my match."

"So you're in!" She exclaimed slapping Syrus on the back, startling him. "Congratulations, I'll be in too as soon as I win my duel."

"What, you haven't dueled yet?" Syrus asked shocked at her naivety.

"Nope." The brunette replied, still excited about the last match.

"Then you might have a problem, there's one more duel after Bastion's and it's about to start." Syrus explained before turning his attention to the duel field where Liz's duel was about to happen.

Liz rose up on an elevated platform wearing her duel disk. In front of her was a man wearing the blue outfits of the dueling proctors. The man looked at Liz with an assessing gaze.

"Alright, applicant," he said in a tone of authority. "What is your name?"

"Lizabeth Chaundler, sir." Liz replied, respectfully.

"Well you know the rules: you win, you're in." The proctor said, starting up his duel disc. "Lose, better luck next year."

"Oh, I'll be in _this_ year," Liz said, starting up her duel disk. "You can count on it!"

"Duel!"

Proctor: 4000

Liz: 4000

"Ladies first." Liz said, starting her turn. She looked over what she had and smiled. "I summon Amazoness Swordswoman in attack mode."

A muscular, tan woman wearing a blue loincloth and bra like top covered lined with teeth carrying a large sword appeared (1500/1600).

"Then I equip her with the equip spell Amazoness Heirloom!" A pendant that seemed to be carved from wood with a large emerald in the center appeared around her neck. "That'll do for now."

The proctor drew his card. "Not bad, my turn." He looked at his card and then his opponent's field. ' _Her equip spell will either keep her Amazoness from being destroyed or her face down will revive it when it's destroyed. But she's probably not seeing this coming.'_

The proctor activated a spell. "I play polymerization; fusing Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Berfomet to form… " Images of two beast monsters, one was brown standing on all fours and a sharp horn on it's head, the other a four armed, red beast with yellow horns, appeared briefly. They then swirled together in a vortex for a few seconds and then reappeared as a new monster. A two-headed monster with the faces of the monsters used to summon it, standing on all fours, with white wings and a tail that was a snake. "... Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast (2100/1800)!"

"Wow, one of Yugi's monsters!" Liz said, awed and then smirked a bit. "This is going to be fun!"

"Let's see how much fun you're having after this; Chimera, attack!" The proctor commanded.

Chimera roared as it flew over to the Amazoness. Before it could attack, the Swordswoman raised her sword and slashed at the beast, throwing it back toward the opponent. "What happened? Why didn't my attack go through?"

"It's because of my Amazoness Heirloom," Liz explained. "Once per turn, I can negate the destruction of the monster equipped with it. Now, for my Amazoness Swordswoman's effect. Any damage I would have taken goes to my opponent instead."

Proctor: 3400

Liz: 4000

"Clever move, applicant." The proctor praised. "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."

"My go." Liz drew her card. "You may hate me for what I'm going to do next."

"Why's that?" The proctor asked.

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your face down." A cyclone ripped through the face down.

"Next, I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards." Liz drew two more cards from her deck.

"Third, I play Double Summon, so I can summon Amazoness Paladin and Amazoness Archer." After her spell card was played, a tan woman wearing tan, ripped clothes with a hood over her blond hair carrying a sword and also had gold bands on her arms and legs (1700/300) and a pale woman with baggy brown clothes and wielding a bow and arrow (1400/1000) appeared.

"Finally, I play De-fusion, and split your monster back into its original pieces." Chimera flashed, and formed into two monsters; Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) and Berfomet (1400/1800).

"Amazoness Paladin's ability gives her 100 extra attack points for every Amazoness monster I control." Paladin gained a white aura temporarily as her power increased (1700 - 1900/300).

"Amazoness Swordswoman, attack Berfomet!" The sword using Amazoness jumped over to the four armed beast and slashed with her sword, taking him out.

Proctor: 3300

Liz: 4000

"Next, Paladin attacks Gazelle!" The blond Amazoness charged forward and slayed the beast with a slice of her sword.

Proctor: 2900

Liz: 4000

"Now, Amazoness Archer, attack directly!" The pale skinned Amazoness loaded her bow and fired an arrow at the man.

Proctor: 1500

Liz: 4000

"Finally, I activate my Archer's special ability! By tributing 2 monsters on my field, I can deal 1200 points of direct damage to my opponent! So, I sacrifice Amazoness Swordswoman and Amazoness Paladin!"

The two warrior women disappeared and the archer loaded an arrow that was glowing white and fired at the proctor, who grunted on impact.

Proctor: 300

Liz: 4000

"I end my turn." Liz concluded. The crowd murmured about the play she just did. She managed to get her opponent's life points down to 300 in just one turn.

"Whoa, she managed to do so much in one move." Syrus said, staring at the Amazoness duelist.

"She uses her cards in ways you wouldn't expect." The browned girl added, and got a big smile on her face. "I wouldn't mind dueling that girl and her deck!"

"You mean Lizabeth Chaundler?" They both turned to see Bastion taking a seat in the row in front of Syrus. "A smart yet strange individual, she was able to score second best after me on the written exam."

"Wow, that is smart if she was able to almost match her score." Syrus stable.

"By the way, tight duel Bastion!" The mystery girl exclaimed.

"Thank you."

"From where I stand, you just might just be the second best duelist here!" She said, confusing Bastion.

"Guys, talk later!" Syrus jumped in, turning their attention back to the duel.

"My move!" The proctor drew his nest card. "I play Monster Reborn and revive Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts!" The beast came back with a roar.

"Now I sacrifice him, to summon Chaos Command Magician!" Gazelle disappeared and was replaced by a blue skinned spellcaster wearing dark green robes and hood with a scepter of the same color and a red spherical jewel (2400/1900).

"Magician, attack Archer with Chaos Magic!" The magician charged up power in his scepter and unleashed a bolt of red lightning at the Amazoness and destroyed her.

Proctor: 300

Liz: 3000

"I'll end my turn, there!" The proctor stated.

"Alright, my turn!" Liz said, nervous. She had no defense and no cards in her hand. This next draw was make or break time. Liz drew her next card and smiled. ' _Alright Archer, this one's for you, partner!'_

"I play the spell card Monster Reborn and bring back my Amazoness Swordswoman!" In the a flash, the sword wielding Amazoness reappeared, ready to fight (1500/1600).

"Now, attack with Amazon Sword Slash!" The Amazoness obeyed and charged forward, but the spellcaster was too strong and countered her attack, destroying her. But instead of Liz taking the damage, the proctor ended up taking the damage because of Amazoness Swordswoman's effect.

Proctor: 0

Liz: 3000

The proctor brushed off his blazer and smiled. "Well played, welcome to the academy!"

"Thank you!" Liz replied and bowed in respect, though inside she bouncing off the walls with excitement. She was then led down the elevator again.

Up in the stands, another couple of individuals from the very top were watching Liz's duel with interest. A girl with sandy blond hair that reached to about her mid-back with caramel like eyes and wearing the Obelisk Blue girls uniform and a taller boy with blue hair that reached his shoulders and blue eyes wearing the third year's uniform. The girl was Alexis Rhodes, a first year students, and the boy was Zane Truesdale, a third year student and the top duelist at Duel Academy.

"I like this one, she'll make this year interesting." Alexis replied as the duel ended.

Zane just stayed silent not really giving his opinion.

Right below them, where the faculty was sitting, the teachers were talking about the duelists as Liz left the arena.

"Looks like we've got a pretty good crop this year." One of them said.

"Yes, indeed." Another agreed.

Also next to them, another teacher sat there silent not paying much attention the teacher's talk. He could easily be mistaken for woman, but never tell him that. He wore a blue blazer with gold accents and _pink_ ruffles. He had long blond hair in a ponytail and _purple lipstick_. This is Dr. Vellian Crowler, headmaster of the Obelisk Blue boys dorm. He was about to get up and leave when…

"I'm sorry to interrupt," A man in a dark suit, came up to them. "But one last applicant has arrived to to take her exam, Mr. Crowler."

"Did you just call me, 'mister'?" Crowler asked with a slight scowl.

"I'm sorry," The man apologized. "I'm new here Miss…"

Before he could continue, Crowler interrupted him. "I have a PhD in dueling to earn the title 'doctor' thank you." He then looked away. "Now tell the truant that she'll have to come back next year."

The other teachers looked at him like he was a tyrant.

"Come on, , we have time for one more."

"Yes, let's give this duelist her shot." They pleaded with him, which got on Crowler's nerves.

Before he could snap, a female teacher with long black hair, brown eyes, and wearing the usual teacher's uniform came over to see what was going on.

"Crowler, what is going on?" she asked quite sternly. Her name was Midori Hibiki, she handled the first year Slifer Red students and was also the older sister of Koyo Hibiki, a champion pro duelist.

"Oh, Ms. Hibiki, how nice of you to join us." Crowler said, putting on a pleasant tone, though really he didn't like her. She knew the truth and wasn't fooled.

"Just checking to make sure everything is running smoothly," Midori said. "We wouldn't want a repeat of the incident last year."

That made Crowler a bit nervous, especially when Midori started glaring at him pointedly. "When you cut a third of the applicants for some ridiculous reason! What was it? Calling you 'mister' or 'misses'?" she just sighed after that, knowing time was of the essence. "Just make sure this student gets a fair chance and these are direct orders from the Chancellor"

She then walked away toward another seat. No one but a few people who knew of her family life knew that she was taking a personal interest in this girl.

"Yes, of course. Little snitch!" Crowler muttered, scowling. ' _Doesn't she and Sheppard know that there are enough talentless flunkies at this academy? But Sheppard's the boss, and if he wants to give this scrim shaker a duel… fine.'_

He then got up from his seat. "Pardon me, gentlemen, I'll be right back." But before he could leave, one of the teachers picked up a box of decks.

"Wait, who will be the girl's dueling proctor and which exam deck shall we use?" he asked, now confused along with everyone else.

Crowler just huffed and walked away. "Leave _that_ to me." He said mysteriously.

Back with Syrus, Bastion, and our mystery brunette, the third of the trio was totally pumped after seeing Liz duel. "Man, that was one sweet duel!"

"Indeed," Bastion said as he turned to look at the young lady. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, it's..." But before she could finish, an announcement came on.

"Jaylen Yuki, please report to exam field four."

"Go time!" The girl, whose name was Jaylen said as she got ready to go. "Wish me luck, guys."

"Wait," Bastion interrupted her, "About what you said earlier, if I'm second best, who's first?"

Jaylen smiled and pointed a thumb at herself. "Yours truly, it's what I'm best at." She then walked down to the field with a confident stride.

"She's so sure of herself. I wonder if she's really that good." Syrus noticed.

"She's going to need to need to be." Bastion said, looking at the duel field in question. "Look who she's dueling…"

"Yeah…" Bastion and Syrus turned to see Liz looking down at the field from the top of the stairs. "Who's she?"

" _He_ is Dr. Crowler, he's in charge of the exams and the head of the Duel Academy's top dorm." Bastion replied.

"That's a guy!" Liz shouted, making a few people look at her.

"Very, also congratulations on winning your match." Bastion said.

"Thanks!" Liz replied. "I'm going over to sit with my friends. You two want to come?"

The boys nodded and they moved over to where the group of twelve girls were sitting. "What up, sisters?"

The twelve turned to look at the arrivals. There were five standing by the rail, three sitting in the seats in front of them, and four more sitting in the row in front of them.

The first was a really tall girl, about 6'1", with an athletic build. She had long brown hair in a ponytail with bangs framing light brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. She was wearing an orange football player jacket over a lime green sports bra, ripped up jean shorts over thin black leggings, and brown biker boots. She was Julie Devlin, only daughter of Duke Devlin and his wife.

The next girl had waist length blond hair, tan skin, and dark brown eyes. She wore a bluish t-shirt, blue jeans, whitish grayish vans, and a white sweater around her waist. Her name was Ally Kaiba, the adopted daughter of Seto Kaiba.

Next to her was a girl with waist length black hair in a high ponytail, deep brown eyes, nicely tanned skin, and stood about 5'7. She was wearing a red hip length jacket with the collar upright and the sleeves rolled to her elbows over a black t-shirt, blue well-fitting pants, white shoes, a red bandanna around her neck, and black wristbands. Her name was May Muto, the adopted daughter of Yugi Muto and his husband Atem.

Next to May, was a 5'9" girl with pale skin, amber eyes, butt length silver hair, and a curvy, hourglass figure. She wore a dull black waist length jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows with pitch black fur trim over a tight fitting black tank top, black short shorts with a black belt, short combat boots with zippers, black fingerless gloves with silver plates under the knuckles, and a red collar around her neck. Her name was Maxine Sheppard, known better as Max, and also the niece of the chancellor.

At the end of the row was a girl with a very slim frame and a slight petite size. She was only about 5' tall, had light intermediate skin, knee length peachy tan hair, and periwinkle eyes. She had a heart shaped face with a thin mouth, giving her an innocent appearance. Her outfit was a simple silver sundress that reached her knees with a red sash around the middle and her shoes were the same color as the dress. Her name was Serena Wheeler, the oldest child of Joey Wheeler and his wife.

In the second row was a girl with short, curly auburn hair, bluish silver eyes, average skin, and an average height. She wore a blue t-shirt and black jeans with black vans. She was called Lilly Riveau.

Next to her was a girl with fair skin, light blue hair in two high ponytails with bat shaped clips that corkscrew at the ends, and red eyes. She was wearing a black tank top, a short black miniskirt, and smoky gray buckle platform boots. Her name was Kayla Masterson.

At the end of the second row was a girl with cropped short blond hair, blue eyes with gray flecks, and light tan skin. She was the shortest of the group at about 4'10" and a sleek _feline_ like build. What made her stand out was that she had gray and black striped cat ears and tail. Her outfit consisted of a long sleeve gold shirt, a black thigh length skirt, white leggings, black moccasin boots, and reading glasses. Her name was Ziva Pegasus, the youngest child of Maximillion Pegasus and his second wife.

In the third row was a girl, about 5'6", with an athletic build, pale skin, purple shoulder length hair with spiked ends, and bright blue eyes. Her face was round with a porcelain glow to it. She wears a red tank top under a black short sleeve jacket with silver lining, black jeans, black biker boots, black fingerless gloves, a navy bracelet with silver studs on her right wrist, a black choker with silver studs, a skull charm on a piece of string, and a green cord like necklace with the Wadjet Eye and the Knot of Isis on it. This tough looking girl was Gina Bakura, the adopted daughter of Ryou Bakura and his husband Akefia.

Next to her was an athletic looking girl, about 5'6", with nicely tanned skin. Her eyes were bright hazel and red hair that falls past her shoulders. However, like Ziva, she had cat ears and a tail too, only hers were in more of a tiger striped pattern. She was dressed simply, with a gold hoodie, brown pants, and black shoes. She was Blossom Ishtar, the adopted daughter of Marik Ishtar and his husband Malik.

Next to Blossom was a girl with sunny blond hair in a high braided ponytail that reaches her waist with bangs framing her hazel-brown eyes, fair skin, long legs and unlike her friends, was flat chested. She wore a black tube top under a green elbow length jacket, black gloves, green mini cargo shorts with black trim, and black sneakers. Her name was Shannon Taylor, the adopted daughter of Tristan Taylor, who was dating his old high school friend, Tea Gardner.

Finally, the last member of the group had long straight red hair in two braided pigtails, brown eyes, somewhat tan skin, and an average height and build. She was wearing a pink t-shirt with white lettering that says "Sweet as Candy", washed blue jeans, a black cropped basketball jacket, white toms, a silver fox necklace, and rimless glasses. Her name was Karen Walker, the daughter of Serenity Walker, formerly known as Serenity Wheeler, which makes her Serena's cousin.

After introductions were down, everyone settled down and waited for the duel to start. Crowler was being prepped for the duel. His duel disk looked like it was attached to his uniform, at least the part that held the graveyard and deck did. The tray part was held in his hands like a guitar. Soon, Jaylen rose up on a platform, looking around in awe at the place like a little kid.

"Alright, test time!" Crowler said looking at Jaylen with confidence. "So, dear, your name?"

Jaylen turned and focused her attention on the teacher. "Jaylen, Jaylen Yuki."

"Well, Jaylen Yuki, I'm Doctor Vellian Crowler, Department Chair and Techniques professor here at Duel Academy." Crowler introduced himself with pride dripping from his voice.

"Oh, you're a teacher," Jaylen said, rubbing the back of her head, embarrassed. "From how you were dressed, I thought you were the school cheerleader." she laughed lightly at that.

Crowler just sweatdropped at that. Midori, who had been watching the duel, laughed at that, knowing Jaylen would be the only person innocent enough to say it out loud.

"Now that she mentions it," The boy wearing glasses, who we will call Torimaki, said.

"That girl's got some lip, huh Chazz?" said the other guy, who we will call Raizou.

Chazz was not pleased at what Jaylen was saying down there.

Crowler activated what he called his duel vest and drew his opening hand. Jaylen was amazed by the machinery, thinking it looked cool.

"That's some impressive gear you have there," Jaylen said with an awed smile.

"Well, thank you," Crowler said, though he really didn't mean it.

"Well, I'm ready! Time to throw down!" Jaylen said excitedly, activating her duel disk and drawing her opening hand.

"Duel!"

Crowler: 4000

Jaylen: 4000

"Here goes," Jaylen said as she drew her first card. She looked over her hand and smiled.

"Sweet, I'm going to summon Elemental Hero Avian in defense mode!" A green bird man appeared and knelt down in a defense position (1000/1000).

"Then I'll throw down a facedown." A facedown card appeared behind the monster.

"Nice, a hero user!" Julie exclaimed.

"Huh?" asked Syrus.

"She's using the new Elemental Hero archetype that relies heavily on fusion strategies." Bastion explained.

"And it's hard to use that deck properly," Ally added. "The archetype came out a few years ago, and was made popular by an up and coming pro named Koyo Hibiki. I actually heard from my dad that Koyo actually has a relative that teaches here. Though quite recently, Koyo hasn't been in the spotlight at many tournaments."

The others looked at each other, wondering about that, before turning back to the duel.

Midori was watching the duel with a smile, remembering how Jaylen decided on using Elemental Heroes.

"Alright, teach, get your game on!" Jaylen said excitedly.

"Yes, of course." Dr. Crowler said dismissively as he drew his card, "Don't tell me what to do," He muttered then looked at his hand.

' _After all since I'm using my own personal deck rather than one of those puny test decks, I'll be calling all the shots. I'll fail this miserable little brat and send her home in no time.'_ He grinned when he saw the cards in his hand. "I think I'll start out nice and easy, by playing the spell card Confiscation!"

"Okay, so what's it do?" Jaylen asked, starting to get nervous

"What it does is allow me to pay 1000 life points to take a look at your hand and then send one of your cards to the graveyard." As he was explaining, Jaylen's hand glowed, startling her, and then holographic images of those cards appeared in front of Crowler. They were Monster Reborn, Polymerization, The Warrior Returning Alive, and Hero Signal.

"Ah yes, I remember some of these back from when _I_ was a naive rookie." This comment caused Jaylen and Midori to growl, but Crowler didn't notice.

"Now which one shall I banish?" He looked at each card carefully before making a decision. "Monster Reborn to the graveyard!" Jaylen's card was sent there.

"Next I'll set two cards face down," Two facedowns appeared in front of Crowler and then he held up one more card. "And last, but not least, I play Heavy Storm! This spell destroys every other spell and trap card that's out on the field."

A heavy wind picked up and Jaylen's face down Draining Shield was destroyed along with Crowler's two face-downs. Jaylen saw that.

"Whoopsie, did you forget that you had two cards on the field too?" Jaylen said teasingly.

"Now, now, you mustn't speak out-of-turn, young lady." Crowler countered. After that dark clouds began to form around his side of the field.

"Hey, what's happening?" The brunette girl asked, nervously.

"Nothing's happening," Crowler said dismissively before adding, "Not yet!"

Just as he did, two gold dragon-worm-like creatures appeared on his side of the field. "But that's about to change."

The audience was amazed by the two creatures but Syrus was confused. "Could someone tell me what's going on?"

Those two that Dr. Crowler had out were called Statue of the Wicked." Bastion explained as he observed the duel. "It's a special trap that creates a vicious monster token when it's destroyed by a card effect. That's why he played Heavy Storm."

"Speaking of Heavy Storm, I don't think that's a test deck." May deduced, suspiciously.

"Why's that?" Syrus asked.

"Of course! And that goes the same for a card like Confiscation; they're both rare cards that can change the tide of the battle without any serious costs!" Bastion realized.

"Meaning?" Max asked with a bored tone, wishing they would get to the chase without being overly dramatic.

"That's probably his real deck!" Serena answered, feeling worried for the applicant.

"Okay, I'm calling dad." Ally said reaching for her cell phone.

"Hold on," Max said, getting a dark smile on her face, "As much as I would like to call my uncle and inform him that Crowler is abusing his authority again, I say we let the newbie have her fun!"

"What do you mean, Max?" Serena asked, looking over at the black clad duelist.

The silverette flashed her a genuine smile, reserved only for her. "The hero girl looks like she's enjoying the challenge of flying blind, so let's see if she can handle this little match."

While unsure, Ally put her cellphone away and everyone went back to watching the duel.

Meanwhile, the girls weren't the only ones who came to the same conclusion about the deck Crowler was using.

"A card that strong couldn't be in the test decks, Crowler must be using his own." Torimaki, the boy with glasses sitting with Chazz, said.

"Then this duel's over," Raizou, the other boy, said. "No one can beat the deck of an expert like Dr. Crowler."

"Yeah, it's impossible, don't ya think Chazz?"

"Yeah, what do you think, Chazz?"

Chazz grinned at this. "I think I'm going to enjoy watching Crowler wipe the floor with our mouthy little friend down there. I just wish he had treated all the other second-rate duelists that applied to the academy the same way."

"What an elitist snob," Alexis said, "Bullying some amateur with his very best cards."

"You're too soft, Alexis," Zane spoke up, causing Alexis to look at him. "I just hope we get to see that legendary rare card Crowler has stashed away in that deck of his."

Meanwhile, Midori was not happy at what she was seeing. ' _Why am I not surprised Crowler's using his real deck. But I can't do anything about it now that the duel has begun,'_ She smiled slightly, ' _Besides, I think Jaylen's enjoying the prospect of this duel.'_

She laughed a bit at that, ' _She's so much like Koyo, always looking for a strong opponent, and she enjoys every moment of those duels, no matter which direction they turn. Either way, Jaylen, good luck!'_

"Ready for your next lesson?" Crowler called to Jaylen on the other side of the field.

"You bet!" Jaylen answered with excitement in her voice. "Take your best shot!"

Crowler regarded that negatively. "Very well."

His tokens started to glow and writhe in flames. "Now I sacrifice my two Wicked Tokens to summon the Ancient Gear Golem!"

In place of Crowler's tokens stood a giant robotic creature with the working gears clearly seen. Once again the audience was amazed at the sight of the monster, more so than its stats (3000/3000).

"There it is! That's his legendary rare card!" Alexis gasped. Even Zane's eyes widened a bit.

"Now it looks like we're about to find out what makes it so legendary." Zane said as he observed the duel.

"Woah! A monster that could stand toe to toe with Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" Lilly shouted.

The other girls were just as astounded as she was. Midori remained stoic, but her eyes said she wasn't worried for Jaylen. She knew this girl well, she knew she could handle herself.

"Now, now, I hope you're not too scared of my legendary Ancient Gear Golem." Crowler said sarcastically toward Jaylen.

Jaylen, however, was having a blast! "No way! I've always wanted to take on a monster this strong!"

This shocked many people, including Syrus, "Either Jaylen's brave or she's nut!"

"Girl's got guts, I'll give her that!" Kayla said, just as shocked as Syrus.

"She's staring down that legendary rare monster like she doesn't have a care in the world," Zane said incredulously. "I guess the youth and inexperience have their benefits."

"Give it a rest, Zane," Alexis said, getting tired of Zane's attitude. "At least the kid's showing some backbone."

"There won't be much to show after this." Zane retorted.

Dr. Crowler cackled as he ordered, "Golem attack! Mechanized Melee!" His Ancient Gear Golem's single red eye glowed slightly before pulling back its fist and pounding Avian into pixels.

"Oh man, Jaylen's didn't stand a chance!" Syrus fretted as he watched the duel. "Its defense points were way too low. This doesn't look good."

"And it's about to get worse," Bastion said as he remembered what he knew about Ancient Gear Golem. "When Ancient Gear Golem attacks a monster in defense mode, the difference between its attack points and the opposing monster's defense points are dealt to the opponent as damage."

"But that would mean that Jaylen's life points are gonna take a hit!" Syrus cried as he realized what was going to happen.

Just as he said that, a transparent version of Ancient Gear Golem's fist slammed through Jaylen's body, causing her to fall to her knees.

Jaylen: 2000

Crowler: 3000

"Mrow, already down to half." Ziva said, wincing. "She's gotta step up her game, if she wants to win."

Syrus looked at her weirdly for making some kind of cat noise, but turned back to the duel.

Midori was agreeing with Ziva's comment, even though she didn't hear it.

Crowler noticed Jaylen was shaking as she got up and laughed. "Now, now don't feel bad," he taunted, "Not everyone has what it takes to get into the top dueling school in the country…" Crowler trailed off when he realized that Jaylen was laughing not crying.

"Oh, wow! Now I so want to get into this school!" Jaylen exclaimed getting up with fire burning in her eyes.

Midori just smiled, knowing where she got that spirit from.

This took Crowler by surprise before scowling angrily. ' _Doesn't she get it? She will_ not _be admitted into this school! And she will certainly not make a mockery of my deck!'_

' _Just look at him tremble,'_ Jaylen thought with a grin as she reached to draw a card from her deck. ' _I must have him terrified of my skills!'_

As she was about to draw her card, she heard a faint cooing sound. She paused for a second before drawing a card and taking a look at it. She smiled when she saw what it was. It was the card she got from a _very_ familiar man she ran into on the way there. She also remembered what he said about this card belonging to her. ' _You know, I'm starting to believe that too.'_

For a moment, she thought the card winked at her! She was shocked at first but then made a decision. ' _I'm gonna take that as a sign to play ya.'_

"Okay, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode!" She declared. With that, a small, brown furry creature furry creature with green paws and white wings appeared in front of the brunette (300/200).

"Next, I play a card face-down. Not bad, huh teach?" She finished as a card appeared behind the little fur ball.

"Looks like Supergirl's safe." Gina commented.

"What do you mean?" Blossom asked, all wide eyed and curious.

"Wait and see." Shannon said, in a sing-song voice.

Midori was surprised at the sight of the little fairy monster. ' _That's new. I wonder where she got that?'_ she wondered.

Crowler laughed at the play. "Not bad, but I'm a master technician, you see." He taunted Jaylen. "A Kuriboh is rather pedestrian to me; even one with wings you see. It's a textbook mistake, don't feel bad. Now let's proceed."

He drew his next card. "Now Ancient Gear Golem, attack that Kuriboh with Mechanized Melee!" Again, the giant robot pulled back its' fist and punched the tiny creature to pieces.

Jaylen winced. ' _Sorry, Winged Kuriboh.'_

Dr. Crowler noticed that Jaylen's life point meter hadn't gone down. "Check your gear, your life points haven't changed."

Jaylen smirked lightly. "My gear's fine," she said. "On the turn Winged Kuriboh's destroyed, I take zero damage."

That got a surprise out of Crowler. Even some of the audience members were surprised by the turn of events.

"How 'bout that," Alexis stated almost sarcastically, "A technique the good doctor didn't know."

"No one can be expected to know every technique, Alexis," Zane argued in a scolding tone. "Especially one as obscure as that."

"Yeah, well that kid sure knew it." Alexis countered with a slight smile.

Karen giggled slightly at Crowler's reaction, "People really need to stop underestimating Kuribohs!"

"Amen to that, sister!" Liz said, grinning up a storm.

Midori smiled at Jaylen's game play, impressed by her tactic.

"Fine, fine, I guess your lame little monster saved you there." Crowler taunted as Jaylen put Winged Kuriboh in her graveyard.

"Woah, slow down there, teach!" Jaylen snapped, "Just because you beat him doesn't give you the right to call him lame!"

"Oh yes, I forgot how attached you new duelists get to your monsters," Crowler taunted again. "I'm sorry."

"Show a little respect, why don't ya?" Julie muttered.

"He's always like that," Ally sighed, "He's had his position for so long he forgot that he was once a beginner like us. When a duelist doesn't live up to his standard, which is near the level of my father, he looks down on them."

"So, how exactly was he hired?" May asked, skeptically.

"I have been asking my uncle that same question." Max noted, boredly.

Bastion and Syrus looked at her questioningly. She sighed, "My uncle is the Chancellor. We was adopted into the family when my father was a kid." She then looked back down to the duel, muttering, "He's not one of us." Luckily no one heard that.

"Despite his attitude, he's a good teacher, according to my dad." Ally answered, though even she didn't believe it.

Midori was looking at Crowler with an 'oh brother' look since she knew there was one thing you didn't do when dueling Jaylen and that was mock her cards.

"You should be sorry," Jaylen said, "Because by attacking Winged Kuriboh you set off my trap, one of my favorites too, Hero Signal!" Her trap activated, causing a spotlight with a unique H to appear on the ceiling.

"Which lets me bring out my second Elemental Hero," She grabbed a card from her deck and slapped on the duel tray. "My girl, Burstinatrix!" Out of a column of flames, a gray-skinned woman in a red bodysuit appeared on the field with a twirl (1200/800).

As she landed, Jaylen drew her card, starting her turn. "My move!" She looked at the cards in her hand and made a plan. ' _Alright, Winged Kuriboh, this one's for you!'_

She put the card her drew in her hand and selected another card to play. "First, I'll play the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive. This allows me to bring back a warrior monster from my deck to my hand and I choose Avian. And then I'll summon him to the field." The card came out of the graveyard slot and Jaylen then brought the winged hero back to the field to stand next to Burstinatrix.

"Oh, I see, another amateurish mistake, but this is good, this is good, now would anyone like to tell me what our little friend did wrong here…" Crowler taunted, but was cut off by Jaylen again.

"Excuse me, I wasn't finished," She said. "Yes, I know my two monsters by themselves aren't enough to take down your behemoth, but together it's another story!" She then showed one of the last two cards in her hand to Crowler. "And I have just the card to do that! Go Polymerization!"

The two heroes jumped up into the air and swirled together due to the effects of the card. After the two monsters were done, a new monster appeared that had the same color schemes as Avian and Burstinatrix. It also had one of Avian's wings. The only thing that either monster didn't have was the dragon like hand on the monster's right arm and a dragon like tail (2100/1200). "Say hello to Elemental Hero Flame Wingman! Hope your Golem's ready for a clash of the titans!"

"Looks like the duel's almost over," Serena said.

"If Jaylen has the right card in her hand, then the whole thing may just end right here!" Lilly added.

"So, teach, what do think?" Jaylen asked, with a smirk.

"I think you're dueling quite well for an ametur but next time try summoning a monster that has _more_ attack points than what's already out." Crowler said like he was disappointed, but he really didn't see the monster as a threat.

"What's he mean?" Syrus asked, looking at Jaylen's monster.

"He means that the Flame Wingman's atk points are too low to defeat the Ancient Gear Golem," Bastion answered," Bastion answered. "A shame too, because that Elemental Hero has a powerful ability. Whenever it destroys a monster in battle, the controller of that monster receives the original attack points of that monster as damage."

"Oh man, that would have been the perfect way for Jaylen to turn this duel around." Syrus moaned.

"Relax, boys." Kayla said to them. "Super Girl's fine."

"Alright, young scholar," Crowler said, almost exasperated, "I don't mean to rush you but I am a busy man...are you done yet?"

"No way!" Jaylen replied. "And, of course I knew my Wingman had less attack points than your Golem," She then placed the last card in her hand into slot for field spells on her disk. "That's why I'm activating this. A field spell called Skyscraper!"

After she played that card, buildings you would see in big cities like New York, literally started sprouting up on the field. In the middle of it, Crowler's Golem looked like a giant monster attacking the city. Jaylen's Wingman was perched on the highest building's lightning rod with it's arms crossed. The girls were anticipating her next move.

"Alright, Flame Wingman," Jaylen called out. "Time to show those heroics!" She pointed at the ancient robot. "Attack that Ancient Gear Golem with Skydive Scorcher!"

Flame Wingman jumped from the building it was standing on and dove towards Crowler's monster, weaving in and out between buildings.

"Fine by me, bring him on," Crowler said like he wasn't worried. "This silly little Skyscraper field spell hasn't lowered my Golem's Atk by one point!"

Flame Wingman then landed on the ground in front of the Ancient Gear Golem before leaping up into the air again.

"You know teach, you're right," Jaylen revealed, slyly. "What it's done is _raise_ my hero's attack by a grand total of 1000!"

"Wait! Timeout!" Crowler cried, but it didn't stop Flame Wingman's attack as it launched itself at the Ancient Gear Golem, its body covered in flames (2100-3100/1200).

Crowler was freaking out as Jaylen's monster slammed into his, making it burst to pieces. "No, it can't be! He was best card!" He cried before being hit in the head by a piece of debris.

"Oh by the way, you should probably know about my Wingman's special ability." Jaylen said, her monster landing back in front of her. "When he destroys a monster in battle, the attack points of that monster gets dealt straight to your life points. Pretty cool, eh?"

"No way…" Crowler muttered. Just as he said that, the remaining shell of Ancient Gear Golem fell on top of Crowler, despite trying to get out of the way.

Jaylen: 2000

Crowler: 0

Jaylen pointed her index and middle fingers at Crowler in a sort of salute. "That's game!" She exclaimed. "So, I guess I pass the test, huh teach?"

As the holograms faded, a lot of people were stunned to see that Jaylen had beat a teacher, who was using his real deck, in a duel. Crowler was dumbfounded by the whole thing. He was beaten by an amateur who was also late.

"Impossible," Crowler seethed. "There's no way that this delinquent could beat me!"

Up in the stands, Chazz and his flunkies were just as shocked. "It must be dumb luck," Chazz muttered through clenched teeth. "No way Crowler would lose to some flunky!"

Alexis on the other hand was smiling at Jaylen's win. "This girl's got a future here." She then noticed that Zane just huffed and walked away.

Syrus was cheering for Jaylen. "Yay! Way to play, Jay!"

"Wow! That was an amazing turn around win!" Ziva noted, excited.

"Heck yeah! Wish I had that kind of action during my duel!" Gina added.

"I am so jealous of her right now." Blossom agreed with Gina.

' _Nice,'_ Bastion thought as he watched Jaylen wave to the crowd. ' _I could use the competition.'_

Jaylen waved to the crowd some more, then took out her new Winged Kuriboh card. "We made it together," She said, smiling. "And from here on out, you and I will be partners."

Again, Jaylen could have sworn the card winked at her and she was starting to believe this card may be more special than she had originally believed.

She looked up and saw Midori looking at her from a corridor. She smiled and gave Jaylen a thumbs up, which Jaylen returned. ' _See you at home, Midori.'_

 **And that is that.**

 **Sakura: I think the readers suspect connection between Jaylen and the Hibiki siblings.**

 **I'd be insulted if they didn't. Anyway, read and review! Should also say that in two weeks I'm going to be in Nashville for a week on a mission trip with my youth group from church. So, I'll write and post as much as I can before than. Write more soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my fans, we're back with the next chapter of the Hunters of Artemis Chronicles!**

 **Nicholas: Why did you call it this?**

 **Sakura: All the main OC's are girls and we didn't plan on doing any pairings.**

 **Antonio: Why did you make Jaden a girl?**

 **Given all the female OC's it just felt right.**

 **Wilma: Well, on with the story! Who's going to do the disclaimer?**

 **Crys: I guess I will. Wolf doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX, she only owns her characters and any cards she comes up with. Any OC cards she uses go to their owners.**

 **Me and Sakura: Here we go, enjoy!**

 **(Michael rushes in) Wait, Wolf, you forgot to mention something!**

 **Oh yeah, just like with Rise of the Guardians' 2nd chapter, I'm also going to show the the girls morning routines so we can get a feel for their home lives and families. And you might also find out that some of them aren't exactly… normal.**

 **Sarah: You'll find out what she means as you read. She'll also do Jaylin's morning to show her connection to Koyo and Midori.**

 **So, here we really go. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: On Our Way

 _Liz's House_

The sun was rising and it's rays were peeking in through the curtains of Liz's bedroom. Her room was green with silver trim. There were lots of books about animals and a few trophies from swimming competitions.

Liz woke up to the sound of paws padding toward her bed. She opened her eyes to see the red eyes of her feline friend, Loke. He was a large cat, much bigger than a lion or tiger, but his fur was like a dull forest green color. Liz had found this cat a while back on a trip with her parents to Africa. After that, many things in her life had changed.

" _ **Liz, it's time to wake up."**_ Loke said.

Like that. After they met, Liz had gained the ability to talk to animals. She could understand them and they could understand her.

"Thanks, Luca." Liz said groggily.

She got up and headed to the bathroom to get clean. When she came back, she found Loke gathering her stuff for her. She was grateful for Loke's help, it made things easier for her, though she also had to hide him and her secret from her parents, which was pretty easy since Loke could blend into surroundings like camouflage or invisibility.

They headed downstairs for breakfast to see Liz's parents already there. Her father, John, had short green hair and dull pink eyes like his daughter. He was dressed in a suit and tie, since as a literary agent, he had to look presentable for clients.

Her mother, Clare, had shoulder length chestnut brown hair, fair skin, and wine white eyes. She was a messenger so she was dressed more casually, in comfortable walking shoes, jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a down vest for layers.

Her father looked at her with a smile. "Morning, Adventure Girl. Ready for Duel Academy?" He asked, giving his only child a hug, which she returned.

"Yep, I'm ready for the next adventure." Liz answered.

"Well, be sure you keep up with your studies while you're exploring." Clare reminded her daughter, knowing she had a habit of getting so caught up on an adventure that she forgot to do things, like study.

"I know!" The Amazoness duelist sighed. Her mother could be so overbearing at times.

The family of three had a quick breakfast together, then Liz went upstairs to grab her luggage and her trusty boomerang. She then said a quick goodbye to her parents and headed out the door, Loke right behind her. When they were far enough away from her house, she climbed on to Loke's back and bounded toward the docks.

 _Julie's House_

Julie groaned and turned over, wanting to stay in bed a little while longer, but she knew she had to get up. Seeing no sense in fighting it, she sat up and stretched.

Her room was a creamy white color and a little messy. She also had a shelf full with basketball, soccer, and track trophies, and some rock climbing equipment in the corner.

Getting up, she got showered and dressed and headed down to breakfast.

Her mother, Teresa, was already there, meaning her father would be along shortly. Her mother was physically her exact opposite. She had porcelain skin, light brown eyes, silky brown back length hair with a long fringe, and was pretty skinny and petite. She was a researcher and her outfit consisted of a white shirt, black skirt, shoes, and a lab coat.

"Morning, mom." She mumbled sleepily. Her mother looked up from her tablet and nodded to her daughter.

After fixing herself a bowl of cereal, Julie noticed her dad come into the kitchen.

He was already dressed for work and more awake than she was. Duke still ran the Black Crown Game Shop, and had actually taken it to new heights when he got his business degree. Her parents had met in college and had immediately hit it off.

"Hi, dad."

"Morning, Jules." Duke hugged her, then gave his wife a kiss. "Well, ready for school?"

"Is anyone ever ready for school?" Julie gripped, not liking school as much as the next guy.

"Honey," Teresa said, not looking up from her tablet. "I know you're not the biggest fan of school, but can you at least stay on top of your studies."

"Yes, mother." Julie muttered.

Her mother always nagged her about school work. What mom doesn't?

"And make sure you're _thoroughly_ packed." She added, a secret meaning behind it.

Julie nodded in understanding.

You see, on her mother's side of the family was a long line of beast-slayers, they kept humans safe from the more supernatural parts of the world. Julie had recently been made a full-fledged slayer, but her mother still supervised her and made sure she packed her gear. She didn't think there were going to be any creatures on the island, but you can never be too careful.

After breakfast, Julie went upstairs and grabbed her things, including her flamethrower, and went downstairs to say goodbye to her family. After she got outside, she looked up when she heard a roar, seeing the spirit of Light and Darkness Dragon flying off toward the docks where the plane was to depart. Smiling at her partner, she took off after him.

 _Ally's House_

Ally woke up at the sound of her ipod dock playing a country song. Her room was light blue and clean. She had a bookshelf full of books, many of them about history, a laptop closed on her desk, posters of various country stars and bands, a keyboard for her to practice piano, and origami figures decorating said bookshelf and desk.

She got up and turned when she heard a mechanical sound come from the window. She smiled when she saw Cyber End Dragon there. "Yeah, today's the day. We're going to dad's dueling school."

As she left the room to shower, she glanced at a picture on the night stand. It was a picture of a younger her with two adults. One man and one woman. The man's name had been Michael Hills, he had short brown hair and brown eyes, and in the picture was wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and work boots. The woman's name was Kyla Hills. She had long blond hair and ruby colored eyes, and in the picture was wearing a white dress suit.

They were a farmer and music critic, but those were their cover occupations. In reality, they were super spies, working for an organization taking down the most dangerous criminals in the world.

One day, they had gone on a mission and hadn't come home. This was seven years ago. Her mother had been an old friend of Seto Kaiba, and asked that he take care of her should anything happen to her and her husband. Of course, he hadn't known the truth until the day something had happened. He still took her in and didn't object when she decided to join the organization, taking her parents' places.

"I'll find you guys," Ally solemnly vowed. "Even if it means I'm looking for your graves."

After a quick shower and change of clothes, Ally headed downstairs to kitchen and found her father already there with coffee and the paper. "Morning."

Her father grunted a greeting, not looking up from his paper. She went about fixing some toast for herself.

"You all packed?" Her father asked.

"Yep."

"Are you taking any of your equipment with you?"

"The usual stuff."

"Alright."

After breakfast, Ally grabbed her stuff and headed out the door. The next thing seen at the gate entrance was a girl in high powered roller skates jumping said gate and speeding off to the meeting place.

 _May's House_

May was sound asleep until her alarm made a sound like a Japanese string instrument. Her room was all red and in a Japanese style. Her window had a flower box on it, she had an area of her room setup with a paint set, a bookcase with books mostly about astronomy, a surfboard leaned up against the wall, and her desk was decorated with seashells of all kinds.

She heard a chittering sound next to her and looked to see her spirit partner, Shien's Footsoldier.

"Hello, my friend." She greeted, tiredly. She got up, showered, and got dressed.

She passed a photo on her nightstand, one of her with her birth parents, Troy and Sammi Aoi. Her father had long black hair and brown eyes, and wore a dark suit since he was an industrial analyst. Her mother had waist length black hair in a high ponytail, green eyes, and a scar over her left eye. She wore a black dress with matching heels and worked in the fashion industry.

Both her parents were killed by a ninja known only as the Crimson Shadow.

"I'll avenge you two, I swear!" May vowed.

She had been training with her parents until their death. She finished her training with a friend of theirs and vowed to find the Crimson Shadow and reclaim her family's honor.

She walked down stairs and found both her dads in the kitchen. She had been adopted by Yugi Muto himself, and had gained her love of dueling from him. Later, her dad reconnected with an old friend named Atem and they had gotten together and married. They both worked at Yugi's grandpa's shop, but both were also archeologists, so they were usually out of the country part of the time. Both were already dressed, Yugi in his usual uniform, which miraculously still fit, and Atem wore a mostly black leather outfit.

She didn't know about their adventures in their younger years. They had parted ways when Atem left for the afterlife, neither confessing their feelings for each other. Some time later, the gods decided to let Atem come back to be with Yugi. Naturally, both were surprised, but also happy that they returned each other's love.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, May." Yugi greeted, smiling.

Atem nodded and smiled.

"Hello, are you here Yugi?" asked an elderly voice. They all turned to see Yugi's grandpa, Solomon, walk in, dressed in his usual over-alls and bandanna.

May smiled. "Hello, Grandpa." She greeted the older man with a hug.

"Hello, May," The old man greeted his great granddaughter. "My, you've grown into a lovely young lady."

"Hi, Grandpa." Yugi said.

They all had breakfast together and then May gathered her stuff, said her goodbyes, and headed for the docks.

 _Max's House_

Max's room was all black and in a gothic style. The two things things that looked out of place were the flower box that she had on her window, like May, and the glow-in-the-dark stick-on stars on the ceilings in her favorite constellations. The room was also neat and spacious, so she could practice her dancing. She had gotten up on her own and gotten ready and packed.

She went downstairs and found her father and older brother already there. Her father, Gordon Shepard, had short blue hair and amber eyes. He was wearing his work uniform since he was a hairdresser and owned his own salon. Her brother, William, looked like a younger version of their father and he wore the same uniform since he worked part time at his dad's salon, since he was studying to be a beautician.

If you're wondering where her mom is, she's not here. She ditched the family shortly after Max was born. All she ever knew about her mom was that her name was Marisa and that she worked in the luxury trades. Max doesn't know for sure and honestly doesn't want to know. If she didn't want to be their lives then Max didn't want to be in her life. I know, harsh, but what do you expect.

"Morning." Max said bluntly, getting her own breakfast, since her dad and brother already got theirs.

"Morning." William responded, not looking up from his book.

Her father grunted, not looking up from his paper.

Max was used to this, so she just had her breakfast. She grabbed her stuff and went to say one last goodbye to her brother and father.

"I'm heading to the docks," Max told them, like they didn't know. "I'm going to Duel Academy."

"Say 'hi' to your uncle for us." Her father responded. Chancellor Sheppard was her uncle via her dad being adopted into his family.

Max sighed and walked out of the house. Well, it was more a mansion than a house. Her father's birth parents had left him a large trust fund and estate that he would get when he was eighteen, so he became a very wealthy adult.

"They could at least get up to say goodbye properly." Max grumbled under her breath, sighing. Her family wasn't exactly all hugs and kisses if you hadn't guessed.

She heard a gruff bark next to her and looked to see her spirit partner Infernity Beast. She gave the spirit dog one of her rare smiles. "Thanks, Beast."

She then turned to the sky. "Well, time to fly." Max said, two large black wings appearing and unfolding from her back.

You see, she and her family are dark angels, angels that fell from heaven. Max isn't sure of all the technicals that come with this, but she never questioned any of it. With a beat of her wings, she headed in the direction of the plane.

 _Serena's Home_

In a quiet room, all done up in silver and white, Serena was sleeping until she heard a bell like sound come from her alarm clock. At which point, her eyes opened and she sat up. Her room was fairly simple, with a bed, desk, dresser, and a bookshelf with books about magic.

" _Mistress, it's time to get up."_ Serena turned to the voice of the spirit of Shire, the Lightsworn Spirit.

"Got it, thanks Shire." Serena smiled.

After doing her normal morning routine, she went downstairs and was tackled by her little brother in a hug, making her fall to the floor. "Ow! Yugi!"

The little boy laughed, getting off his sister and running back to the dining area. That was her little brother, Yugi Wheeler, named after her father's best friend. He looked like a carbon copy of her father, wearing a long sleeve black shirt, a red vest, and black jeans torn at the knees. He was hyper little guy who liked to dance.

Serena followed the little bugger into the aforementioned area and saw that her dad and mom were already there.

"Morning, sweetheart." Joey greeted his oldest with a hug.

Joey was dressed for work in his uniform, working as the head chef of a restaurant. Apparently, he was a good cook, even Kaiba admitted it.

"Good morning, Dad!" Serena hugged back, then moving to hug her mother, Dayna.

Dayna looked like her daughter only her hair went only to her waist and was always in a ponytail. She also wore glasses and had the normal figure of an adult woman. She was dressed casually today, in jeans shorts and a white t-shirt, since it was her day off.

She was a steward of a cruise line, and that's how she met her future husband. Joey had been invited to work in the kitchen on the same liner as her, hence how they met. Things took their course from there.

After breakfast was done, Serena got her stuff, said her goodbyes, and headed out the door. She looked up to the sky and saw a figure flying overhead. She smiled and unfurled pure white wings.

To explain, Serena and her mom were both light angels, from heaven. Dayna had been charged watching over people on cruises when she met Joey, who wasn't phased at all when she told him. As far as they know, Yugi doesn't have any powers of his own.

She flapped her wings and took to the air, coming up alongside the other flyer. "Good morning, Max!"

The dark angel girl glanced at the pure angel and smiled slightly. "Hi, Sena." Max replied, using one of Serena's nicknames.

Despite the fact dark angels and light angels don't normally get along, Serena was probably the only one Max openly smiled for. They were both on their way to the docks.

 _Lilly's House_

Lilly was sound asleep until the loud ringing sound of her alarm clock went off, scaring the heck out the girl and toppling her from the bed. She scrambled to her feet and instinctively shot the clock with a blast of magic.

"Lilly! Did you just shoot your alarm clock, again?" shouted the voice of her father from downstairs.

Lilly went pale. "No!" She shouted back a lie.

She then heard giggling, and turned to see the spirits of the Fortune Ladies laughing at the situation.

" _Now, Lady Lilly, you don't need to take out the morning frustrations on the alarm clock."_ Said the chiding but amused voice of Fortune Lady Light, the only one of the group who called her 'Lady'.

" _Maybe now you can get a new one that plays music."_ Said Fortune Lady Dark, the self-appointed leader of the Fortune Ladies.

Lilly sighed. "Hopefully, dad won't find out until after I leave." She muttered, leaving her room for a shower, which had a black and blue color scheme.

It was reasonably neat, typically furnished, and the walls were covered with drawings, articles from the school newspaper that she was on, and paintings of landscapes.

The one thing that would set this room apart from a normal girl's room would be the books on magic on the shelves. Not the books Serena had on her shelf, which were on magician's magic. These were books about _real_ magic.

You see, Lilly and her family come from a long line of witches. In fact, Lilly is considered to be one of the brightest witches of her generation, there isn't a spell known that she hasn't mastered. She even created one herself.

She headed downstairs after showering and getting dressed. Her father and mother were already in the kitchen getting a jump start on the day.

Her father's name was Andrew. He had short blond hair and eyes like his daughter's, only a little colder. This doesn't mean he was a bad father, he loved his children, he was just stern. He was wearing a white coat, a black shirt, and dark pants. He was an engineer.

Her mother's name was Ashley. She has hair like her daughter's only curly and reached her mid-back. She had silver eyes, pale skin, was of average height, and had an amazing figure. Her clothes were all black and wore a white doctor's coat. You would think with her looks she would be a model, but in reality she was a psychoanalyst.

"Good morning." Lilly greeted, getting her breakfast.

Her father hummed a greeting, being a man of few words.

"Are you ready to go to Duel Academy?" Her mother asked, being business like in an ever fretting mother sort of way.

Lilly restrained from rolling her eyes. "Yes, mom." She answered in between bites of cereal.

"Are you all packed?"

She swallowed a little harder than she meant to. "I just need to gather a few more things. It'll only take a few minutes, I'll do it when I'm done." She defended herself.

"Really, Lilly? I would have had everything finished the night before." Came a know-it-all voice from behind her.

Coming into the kitchen was a young elementary school girl. Her name was Pamela, Lilly's younger sister. She had long blond hair that reached her waist and silver cat-like eyes, and she was already dressed in her private elementary school uniform, which was black and purple. Said school is also a secret school for witches.

While Lilly's brilliant, her sister's a real prodigy. Lilly had to work hard to become as good as she was, while Pamela was a natural. It didn't help that Pamela acted older than she was and more mature than her sister. So, naturally, the girls were rivals.

"Shut up, you little toad!" Lilly hissed, getting up since she was done. She walked out of the room, missing her sister actually croak like said toad, blushing in embarrassment.

Lilly got to her room and found her things already gathered. Sitting in front of it was a light brown, cocker spaniel puppy with a black collar and tag with the name Maggie etched in it, sitting there with a knowing look in her eyes.

Lilly laughed. "Thanks, Mags!" She said.

Maggie, or Mags, was Lilly's familiar. She helped her with her spells and potions by fetching ingredients or finding good places to practice.

Lilly grabbed her things and headed out the door with Maggie following her, grabbing her broom along the way.

All witches could fly, some by levitation, some by magical wings, others by their familiars. Lilly used the old fashioned form which was flying on a broomstick. There was a catch though, Lilly didn't like flying and wasn't good at it. Guess what she's also at odds with her sister about?

"Now, if we can get to the docks without crashing, we'll have made some progress." She muttered, Maggie looking none too pleased with the idea, given her first hand experience with her mistress's lack of skill in the air. They were soon on their way, the broom dipping precariously as they went.

 _Kayla's Place_

Kayla's room was in a gothic style, all black and purpley, and her bed was designed to look like a coffin. On her desk were some drawings of different dresses and costumes in the same style as her room.

Going back to her bed though, Kayla was sound asleep in a manner that made it look like she was dead. There were then a few screeching sounds, like birds, and her eyes fluttered open to see, what she dubbed the Harpy family, hovering by her bed. It consisted of the Harpie Lady Sisters, Harpie Girl, Harpie's Brother, and Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon.

" _It's time to get up, Kayla."_ Harpie's Brother, who she called Thalion, spoke.

The others also had names. The one with magenta hair was called Garnet, the one with orange hair was called Wisteria, the one with blue hair was called Kestrel, the youngest sister was called Rosemary, and the dragon was called Redfern.

Kayla sat up, stretched and yawned, her canines noticeably being sharper than most people's. Yeah, she and her family are vampires. Just to clarify, vampires. Don't. Sparkle! If you mention Twilight around her, she will hurt you.

Kayla left to go shower and get dressed. She soon came downstairs and found her family already there. Her family was her mother, father, and younger sister.

Her father's name is Nicholas. He has short pale blond hair and eyes like his daughter's. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, looking oh so much like a stereotypical vampire. As far as job application, he was a metallurgist, a scientist who studies the purities of metal and their production.

Her mother's name is Deanna. She has hair the same color as her daughter's that reached her mid-back, gray eyes, and a medium figure. She was wearing a silver, dress suit and a scarf. She's the head executive of a mining company.

Finally, her little sister's name is Erin. She has long pale blond hair and gray eyes. Her outfits of choice are somewhere between lolita and punk. She's actually best friends with Pamela, though she and her sister get along a little better than Lilly and her sister do.

"Good morning, big sister." Erin greeted her.

"Good morning."

"Are you ready for school?" Deanna asked her daughter.

"Yes."

"How are you going to feed?" Nicholas asked.

Vampires had to have blood every few days to once a week, so her family had been a little hesitant to let her go to Duel Academy. It was an island with not that many animals to feed from, so she would have to take blood from humans, which Kayla didn't like to do.

"I'll ask my friends to donate sometimes," Kayla reasoned. "Other times, I'll just put someone in a very deep trance so they won't remember a thing."

Vampires had mind abilities as part of their hunting techniques for an urban setting.

Though still hesitant, they agreed to her plan, seeing as how she had thought this through and her friends were willing to be donors from time to time. After breakfast, she grabbed her things and headed outside.

Her house was actually a mansion, in a Victorian Gothic style. With a little concentration, she made a small, but strong pair of bat wings appear and took flight, her duel spirits following close beside.

 _Ziva's Place_

Ziva was curled up like a cat in her queen sized bed. Her room was huge and gold. It was lavishly furnished, making it fit for a princess. The windows were big, letting in lots of sunlight, and it overlooked the garden. She also had two huge book shelves crammed with all kinds of books and an ornate piano that she liked to play. Ziva soon opened her eyes and stretched with the grace of a cat.

" _Good morning, Ziva."_ The cat girl turned to see her duel spirit, Ice Master, greeting her with her usual guarded face.

"'Morning," Ziva responded, still tired.

"Trouble sleeping, kitten?" Asked a voice from the doorway.

Ziva turned to see her father, Maximillion Pegasus, wearing his usual red suit.

"No, just a slow riser." she said. She got up to go take shower, her father patting her on the head as she passed.

After she left, Pegasus noticed a picture on his daughter's bedside table. It was a photo of a younger Ziva with a woman who looked like her only her hair reached her shoulders, which you couldn't tell in this picture because it was in a bun. She was also wearing a marine's uniform. Her name was Donna Pegasus, Pegasus' second wife.

They had met when Pegasus was invited to a charity toy drive sponsored by the marines. They had fallen in love almost instantly, and hadn't been phased at all when she told him she was a cat demon.

Pegasus smiled sadly at the thought of his second wife. They made a beautiful family together, four kids in all, and a grandchild. Tragically, Donna was killed in action when an IED went off and flipped the humvee she was driving. At least, this time, the pain wasn't as bad as when he lost Cecilia, since he had a family to lean on.

"You would be very proud of her, my love," He whispered. "All of our children."

After Ziva was done with her morning routine, she and her father went to the dining hall where her brothers, sister, grandfather, sister-in-law, and nephew were.

Her oldest brother was the married one. His name was Caleb. He had long silver hair like his father and eyes like hers, which were their mother's. He was dressed in a nice suit, since his occupation was an accountant.

His wife's name was Amelia and she was a police officer. She had waist length dark hair and blue eyes, and was currently in her uniform.

She and Caleb had met while she was on patrol and pulled him over for a speeding ticket. What he got was both a ticket and her number. They dated, married, and then had a son.

Their son, her nephew, is named Michael. He looks a lot like his father with his mother's eyes. He's dressed like a typical toddler, looking all cute, wide-eyed, and innocent. He was engrossed in breakfast before Ziva came in, which got his attention. Ziva smiled at her nephew.

Her second brother is named Jason. He has hair like hers, only longer, and eyes like their father. Unlike his brother and father, he was dressed in white and blue sweat clothes, since he was PE instructor at Domino High.

Her third sibling, her sister, is concidently also named Danielle. She gets most of her features from her father, with long silver hair and brown eyes. She's of average height and has an hourglass figure. She was dressed in khaki clothes appropriate for hiking, especially the kind along mountain trails. Her occupation is listed as explorer.

Finally, her grandfather, her mother's father, was named Daniel Potter. He has long, graying dark brown hair, eyes like hers, and wrinkled, bronze skin. In his youth he would have been a very handsome young man. He was dressed casually, yet also nicely, nice shirt, nice pants, things like that. In his youth, he was also an expedition organizer, even worked with Solomon Muto on occasion, but now he leaves the adventures to his oldest granddaughter.

"Good morning, everyone!" Ziva announced her presence, as she went and picked up her nephew, giving him a hug.

"Morning, Lil' Sis!" Jason greeted, hugging both of them.

"You excited about school?" Her sister asked, setting out a plate for her.

"Uh huh!" Ziva nodded, handing Michael to her sister-in-law as she dug into breakfast.

"A school on an island," Daniel mused. "In my day we had to walk ten miles to school, uphill, both ways, in ten feet of snow!"

"Uh huh, sure grandpa." Caleb muttered, not believing a word of it. This made everyone laugh.

After breakfast, Ziva gathered her things, said one last goodbye to her family, and went to meet Crochet who would drive her to Duel Academy. Just for a quick clarification, they live in a mansion on the mainland, with the old castle being their summer place.

 _Gina's Place_

Gina was still sleeping in her all black room. It was slightly messy and the bookshelves were crammed with horror movies of all kinds. With that much terror, you wonder how she's able to sleep. As she was, the little spirit of Kuribon, her partner, appeared, trying to wake her up.

That was when the door burst open and in walked her mother, Ryou Bakura, who was already dressed for his job as a doctor. "Gina, it's time to get up!"

She just turned over to get the sudden light of her face. "Five more minutes…"

"No, Gina, you need to get up now!" Ryou said, pulling away her blanket, much to her annoyance.

She groaned. "Fine, I'm up."

"Alright, get ready to go," Her mom said, walking out. "I'm making pancakes before I go to work. Remember, necessities, not movies."

Gina started moving, glancing at her partner. "Hopefully, they're chocolate chip."

When she was done, she came into the dining area, to see her mother and her father, Akefia. Yes, _the_ Akefia, as in the Tomb Robber/Theif King. After their adventures in the past, Ryou, despite everything Akefia had put him through, was able to forgive him and ask for mercy from the gods. Which they granted, and Akefia was allowed into the afterlife, not knowing that Ryou had come to love him, despite everything.

The years rolled by and Ryou adopted Gina at a young age. She couldn't remember her birth parents, so Ryou was the closest thing to a family she had known. One day, she was on her way out the door to school, when she ran into Akefia right outside their apartment door. She headed off to school, missing the exchange that went on between the two.

Akefia had been given the same chance at life as Atem, and had gone to see Ryou, who finally had the chance to confess his feelings. They soon got together, and Gina got a dad.

"Mornin', dad." Gina smiled.

Akefia, who was still half asleep, jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, hello." He muttered falling back asleep.

Thankfully, Akefia's chosen profession wasn't a thief anymore. He had actually taken a career as a publicist. He would normally wear a suit, but he had just gotten up so he was still in his sweats and t-shirt.

Ryou chuckled at his husband before turning back to his daughter. "Everything ready?"

"Yep."

"Alright, you may have pancakes now."

Gina beamed, before stuffing her face. Akefia soon joined her after that. After a hearty breakfast, Gina went and gathered her stuff, and had a final talk with her parents.

"Alright, remember to stay on top of your studies, okay," Ryou instructed her. "And don't annoy your roommates with marathon horror sessions. Also, don't use your powers unless it's an absolute emergency."

"And no showing off or pranks. Unless they really deserve it." Akefia added, getting an elbow to rib from his partner.

They were referring to Gina's abilities as a psychic duelist. She's a really powerful one, thankfully she can control it. She also has a skill with Shadow Magic, having been taught by Akefia. She likes using her powers to prank others, which has gotten her in trouble on more than one occasion.

"I'll be careful." Gina promised, giving her parents a final hug before heading out the door.

 _Blossom's place_

Blossom was sleeping just as sound as Ziva had been, given that she's also a cat demon. Her room was on the messy and humble side compared to Ziva, and it's a neutral brown color. There was a soccer ball on the floor and a retro Pacman machine was in the corner.

She probably would have stayed asleep if it hadn't been for the door being opened. "Blossom, it's time get up!"

The new voice belonged to a young man with medium length, layered dark hair, dark eyes, and matching cat ears and tail. His name was Anthony and he was Blossom's older brother. His choice of occupation is a scientist and he was currently dressed in gray jeans and a red t-shirt, which at work he would wear a lab coat over that.

Blossom just groaned and turned over. "No wake. Must sleep more."

"No, no more sleep. You need to get up, now!" Anthony insisted, pulling the blanket off.

"Five more minutes!" She muttered, playing tug of war with the blanket.

"NO! GET UP!" Anthony shouted, finally managing to get the blanket away from her. "Now come on, get ready and come get breakfast."

After he left, Blossom at least managed to sit up. "Why does school have to be so early?"

She glanced to her left when he heard a sound similar to Winged Kuriboh. It was her spirit partner Ninja Star Kaabi. He looked a lot like Fighter Kirby.

She sighed. "Fine, I'm moving."

After a slow start, she finally managed to get downstairs. Her brother was there along both their step-dads, Marik and Malik Ishtar.

To explain, she and her brother had a rough start in life. Their birth parents weren't exactly the nicest. They barely remembered them now much. The only things she remembers is that their names were Jacob and Taylor Gross and they were a business owner and stock exchange employee. When Anthony was old enough, he took her and ran away. That was how they met Marik.

The story involving Malik is similar to Atem and Akefia. Since Malik was created from Marik's anger, that was the only emotion he knew. So, he was allowed to go to afterlife and he got the same chance as the other two.

Malik's chosen profession was in the luxury trades, so he usually wore a suit. Right now though, he was in the same state at Akefia. Marik on the other hand was now helping run his siblings' museum, so he was dressed like he always was.

"Here I am!" Blossom announced her presence.

"And you're late!" Anthony added.

"Okay you two, none of that!" Marik reprimanded. "Blossom, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"Good, make sure you have everything and eat something before you go."

"Marik? Are you here?" called a voice from the entry.

Blossom knew that voice. "Aunt Ishizu! Uncle Odion!" She ran to the door and gave the two mentioned people a hug.

Ishizu was wearing her usual Egyptian styled clothing, same with Odion. The only things were that Ishizu wasn't wearing the Millennium Necklace and Odion no longer had his markings. They were both still running the museum, and Odion's still protective of Marik. He's also protective of his nephew and niece.

"Hello, Blossom. Are you excited for school?"

Blossom nodded. "Want to have breakfast?"

"Of course."

They went back into the kitchen and Malik managed to wake up enough to join them. The discrete little glares that went unnoticed by Blossom and Marik showed that they still didn't fully trust Malik. Afterward, she got her things, said her goodbyes, and headed to the docks.

 _Shannon's Place_

A loud rock song played over a radio in Shannon's spring green room. It's clean, there are posters of different all girl rock bands on the walls, and a guitar set up in on a stand in the corner.

Shannon gets up and heads to the bathroom, leaving the music on. She comes back after a shower, singing along with the music. She danced as she got ready, joined by her spirit partner, Happy Lover.

"Today's the day, Happy!" Shannon cheered, overjoyed. "We're going to Duel Academy!"

Happy Lover cheered as well before leaving. Shannon headed downstairs for breakfast, her parents were already their.

Her father, Tristan Taylor, was already dressed for his work as a cop. He was street level and actually worked with Amelia. His wife, Tea, ran a dance studio and was already dressed in her dance attire.

"Good morning!"

"Morning, dear!" Tea greeted, giving her daughter a hug.

"Ready for Duel Academy?" Tristan asked her.

"You bet!"

"Have some breakfast first though, okay." Tea told her.

"Yes, Mom!"

It should be mentioned that these two are Shannon's adopted family. She has the same rough hand that Blossom had. She doesn't think about her birth parents much, all she recalls is that their names were Alexander and Muriel Brown, and they were an electrical engineer and glazier.

The only difference was that the police found out and Shannon ended up in an orphanage. It wasn't so bad, she did make several friends. She still talks to four of those girls, today.

Speaking of them, the family heard the door open and the voices of those said girls coming in.

"Hey, Shannon, you still here?"

"Of course she's still here, she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye!"

"Unless she got up late, again."

"I'm in here guys!" Shannon called to them from the kitchen.

The girls came in and gave Shannon a group hug. The first girl's name was Jessica. She looked almost exactly like Shannon, only her hair was down and reached her butt. She also wears a similar outfit to Shannon, only in red and white. She's the spunky, dreamer of the group. She and Shannon would watch TV together and act out the scenes. She dreams of being an idol, so she's going to a special school for idols.

The second girl's name was Noelle. She has long raven black hair that goes to her lower back and brown eyes. She likes to wear Chinese styled clothing. She's serious and focused one of the group, with a bit of the temper. Shannon would often be the one to stop her from hitting any males that annoy her. A couple months ago, her grandfather got custody of her. So now, she lives at his temple to learn to be a priestess and attends a private Catholic college.

The next girl's named Caitlyn. She has really tan skin, shoulder length dark brown hair, and matching brown eyes. She has a prep-school style of clothing. She's quiet but intelligent. She and Shannon would often make cookies together, when she wasn't trying to convince her to get her nose out of a book. She's been accepted into a school for the gifted.

The last girl's name was Sarah. She's tallest and strongest of the group. She has wavy ginger hair in a ponytail and green eyes. She's a tomboy. She's a tough girl with a soft heart. She and Shannon would spend their free time outside, looking for butterflies. She now lives on her own.

Back at the orphanage, they were known as the Sailor Scouts, since all loved the show _Sailor Moon_.

"Hey guys, I'm glad you came to see me off!"

"We're going to miss you!" Noelle said.

"I promise to skype as often as I can!"

"Hello girls, want to stay for breakfast?" Tea asked.

"Sure, thanks Mrs. T!" Sarah smiled.

After breakfast and another round of hugs, Shannon headed out. When she was down the block and out of view. She took out a silver medallion with a blue gem in the center. It glowed briefly and suddenly, Shannon was wearing a red magical girl-like outfit with white boots and a pink scepter.

Shannon had found this strange medallion around the time she first came to the orphanage. It had taken her a little while to get used to how it worked. The only ones who knew about it were her friends.

After tapping her toe on the ground a few times, tiny wings sprouted on the boots. Then, she ran a few paces and jumped, taking to the sky. Now, onto the docks.

 _Karen's Place_

Finally, Karen was up and awake in her orange bedroom. It had three large bookcases full of books, showing off Karen's love of reading. It was only rivaled by her love dueling, which was shown off by all the posters of famous duelists and duel monsters on the walls.

Karen was finishing putting her hair into her usual braids when she heard a knock at her door. "Come in."

The door opened and in came a handsome man with short brown hair and brown eyes. He was very sharply dressed, wearing a custom Italian suit. This is Austin Walker, Karen's father who works in fashion.

"Good morning, sweetie. Ready to go?"

"Almost, I'm just going to have a quick breakfast before I go."

Austin nodded before leaving his daughter to her business. She wasn't alone for long, soon being joined by her spirit partner, Dark Magician Girl, who she called Mana.

" _Going to miss this place?"_ Mana asked.

"Mana, I'm not moving out. I'll be back during the summer."

" _Still, this is the farthest you've ever been from home."_

Karen went silent for a minute before responding. "I'll be fine, Mana. After all, my friends will be there with me."

Mana smiled and nodded before leaving. When she was ready, Karen went downstairs for breakfast. Her father was already in the dining area and her mother was setting out breakfast for them.

Her mother was Serenity Walker, formerly Wheeler. This makes her and Serena cousins. Serenity had gone into scientific research, so she was dressed in comfortable anytime clothes along with her lab coat.

Serenity glanced up when her daughter came into the room. "Good morning, Karen."

"Morning, mom."

"Everything ready to go?" Karen nodded.

"Don't be too worried, dear," Austin reassured his wife. "Karen will be fine. It will be an adventure, plus her cousin will be with her."

"Well, alright. I just hope it's not an adventure like the ones I had with my brother."

Karen giggled before sitting down to eat. After breakfast, there were a few more goodbyes and then Karen headed for the elevator of their apartment.

 _Jaylen's Place_

Meanwhile, Jaylen had just woken up and was moving to get to the docks on time. Her room was red with a black racing stripe along the walls. Her love of dueling was known in the room, with the posters like Karen had in her room and the action figures of Elemental Heroes and other well known duel monsters that were on her bookshelves and desk.

The room also showed that she was a well blended mix of tomboy and girly. There were trophies and photos of Jaylen and her team at competitions. She was in almost every kind of sport. She did baseball, basketball, soccer, track and field, volleyball, dance and cheer squad, horseback riding, boxing, ice skating, swimming, surfing, and was even the only girl on her school's football team.

Meanwhile, in her closet were stylish tops, skirts, dresses, and jeans. She managed to make any outfit she wore look good. She also has a professional makeup kit on her vanity desk. It seemed like she was just as comfortable in a dress as she was in a t-shirt and jeans, and she made both look good.

She had her own TV in her room which had an Xbox, a Wii, and PS3 hooked up to it. She also has a Nintendo DS sitting off to the side. The games to the systems were stored in the entertainment center the TV sat on, along with just as many Disney movies. She really liked the princess movies. She also had an electric guitar and a surfboard propped in the corner.

Deciding to keep the look simple, she put on a white tank top under a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. She also put her hair up in a ponytail and forewent the makeup. As she headed to the stairs, she peaked into bedroom down the hall from her.

It was a master bedroom in an off-white cream color and neat. There was a matching king size bed with the same color bedding. In the bed was a young man, with short brown hair and skin that looked paler than it had been when Jaylen first met him. He has brown eyes and often wore glasses, unless he was dueling, but you wouldn't have seen it at that time since his eyes were closed.

That was her stepfather, Koyo Hibiki. Technically, he was her mother's fiance but he was already a lot like a father to Jaylen. She had been the one to introduce him to her mother. They had met at the hospital where she worked as a nurse. Heck, part of her job is taking care of her fiance, a schedule she worked out with her bosses.

Koyo was currently bedridden and the drugs he had to take made him drowsy, so he was currently sleeping. Jay just wanted to check on him real quick before going to breakfast.

When she got to kitchen, her mother, Kara, was already there making breakfast for them. She has long light brown hair with dark brown tips and chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed in her dark blue hospital scrubs, even when her job was at home she wore them.

"Morning, mom."

Kara turned and gave her daughter a tired smile. "Morning, Blue Jay."

"Well, today's the day." Jay said as she sat down for breakfast.

"Yup."

Jaylen looked at her mother, seeing how tired she was. She thought that maybe she should stay and help her mom.

As if reading her mind, her mother gave a her a look. "And no, you are not backing out. Go, I can take care of things here. Why should Midori have all the fun?"

"What fun?" Asked a third voice. They turned to see Midori, Koyo's older sister, walk into the room.

"Hi, Aunt Midori," Jaylen greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, since we both have to catch the same flight, I figured I'd give you a ride." Midori smiled.

"Everything packed, Jayjay?" Kara asked her daughter.

"Almost, I still have a few things to pack," Jaylen responded. "Can I send for a few things when I get there?"

"You can take your guitar and I'll send your surfboard later, you're not taking the consoles," Her mom answered. "You can take the Nintendo and a _few_ games. Same with the movies."

"It's creepy how you're able to read my mind like that." Jaylen deadpanned.

Midori laughed at that. "What are you making, Kara?"

"Pancakes. Want some?"

"Sure."

"I'll help you mom." Jaylen was also a pretty good cook.

"I'll go check on my brother." Midori headed upstairs.

Mother and daughter cooked in silence for a few minutes before Midori came back down, with a certain man on her arm. "Good morning."

"Daddy!" Jaylen cheered and caught her father in a hug.

"Morning, Jayjay." Koyo groaned at the sudden ambush.

"Easy, Jaylen, don't break him." Midori cracked.

"Think you can handle something solid?" Kara asked, going into nurse mode.

"If it's light enough." Koyo smiled.

The family then sat down to eat. Afterward, Jaylen gathered her things and came downstairs while Midori brought the car around. "See you guys this summer."

"Take care, Blue Jay, and make sure to actually study." Kara reminded, hugging her daughter.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she does." Midori promised.

"Go get 'em, Jay. Remember, have fun." Koyo smiled at his daughter.

"I will." Jay nodded, giving him another hug.

After that, Jaylen and Midori piled into the car and were on their way.

 _About an hour later_

The girls had met up about a block away from the plane site and made the rest of the way on foot. Midori let Jaylen out about a block away and she did the same. When they got there, they were instructed to put their luggage in the cargo hold, and then sit in their assigned plane seats. Jaylen made sure to have a talk with the luggage people about her guitar (read made a veiled threat).

Jaylen was seated by Syrus, while the girls were seated around the plane. Soon, they were all in route to their new school, Duel Academy.

A short time later, an announcement came over the intercom of the plane. "Attention, academy students, if you look out the window on your right, you'll see your new home away from home."

Most of the students did that, and were impressed at the sight. The island was mostly green with a forest and even a dormant volcano. The main building that jumped out at everyone was silver with four almost golden spires coming up around it, along with a red, yellow, and blue roof coming off the main building.

"Next stop, Academy Island! Please fasten your seatbelts and set your seats into an upright position as we make our landing."

A couple hours after that, the new students found themselves in a large room that was one of the classrooms. Before that, they were given their uniforms, and changed. Ally, May, Max, Kayla, and Ziva were wearing blue uniforms, Liz, Serena, Lilly, Gina, Blossom, and Karen were wearing yellow uniforms, and Julie, Shannon, and Jaylen were in red uniforms.

Each of them had their uniforms a little different. Serena, Lilly, Blossom, Shannon, and Karen were wearing the uniforms like how they were normally.

Liz was wearing the same shirt, hat, pants, and jeans, with the Ra girl's vest and the boots to the boy's uniform.

Julie wore the Slifer girl's vest over her sports bra. She was also wearing the same ripped jean shorts and boots without the leggings, along with black kneepads and brown biker gloves.

Ally was wearing the standard girl's uniform with a light blue jacket over it.

May also had on the standard girl's uniform with her bandana.

Max was wearing the same outfit only she traded in her jacket for the vest to the girl's uniform with the white part dyed black.

Kayla was also wearing the standard girl's uniform, only the vest is black with blue lining and the skirt is black except for the two ruffles.

Ziva wore the standard girl's uniform with the vest open over a black t-shirt and gray leggings and Gina was wearing her old outfit only with the blazer to the boy's uniform.

Jaylen, meanwhile, was wearing the Slifer girl's top with black jeans and white running shoes.

Everyone was standing with the people who were wearing the same colored uniform as theirs. Syrus was standing with the red students and Bastion was with the yellow students.

Seconds later, a middle aged bald man with a goatee wearing a dark red coat over a shirt and tie appeared on the screen in front of them.

"Good morning and welcome my students," He said in a pleasant voice. "I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster here at Duel Academy, and you are the best and and brightest duelists in the world. Now please get yourselves settled in to your assigned dorms. I hope you find them quite comfortable, depending on how you ranked of course." He finished with a slight chuckle before the screen went black.

The students then walked out of the main building and headed off toward their dorm room assignments. Julie and Shannon walked out first and saw Jaylen and Syrus sitting near one of the stone decorations in the courtyard. They decided to go over there and join them.

"Hello there!" Shannon greeted.

"Hey, looks like the four of us are in the Slifer Red dorm!" Jaylen said, looking up from her new PDA, called a Duel Pilot.

These show a student's ID, grades, duel credits that you could use to trade for booster packs at the card shop, a map of the island, and a student handbook. They could also record videos and send calls with them.

"Sure looks that way." Julie said, looking around casually. She was actually checking her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.

As they were chilling, Bastion and the Ra girls walked up to them.

Shannon acknowledged them first. "Hey, guys! Are you all in red too?"

Bastion smiled slightly and looked himself over. "Well, let's see...yellow sleeves, yellow buttons. I don't think so."

"Oh, is that what the color schemes are for?" Shannon asked, looking at her uniform as she sat up.

Gina just smacked herself on the forehead. "Please tell me you didn't just realize that." She said, groaning slightly at her friend's naivety.

Shannon pouted. "So? You ever think I might be color blind!"

"Actually, no. Are you colorblind?" Bastion asked, surprised by the display.

"No, she's not color blind." They turned to see the Obelisk girls walking up to them. Ally was the one that spoke.

The magical girl snickered. "She's right, but I could've been!"

Jaylen just laughed at her new friend's antics. She then turned to the new arrivals. "I take it you guys are in blue?"

"Yup!" said Kayla with a smile and nod, while May and Max just nodded.

Ally then did a double take at what Jaylen was wearing. ' _How come she's in Slifer Red, I saw her scores and they were good enough to have gotten her into Ra Yellow?'_ Before she could continue that thought, another thought occurred to her, one that made her sigh. ' _Crowler… One of these days my dad and I are going to have a talk with him.'_

"Anyway, guess we'll be seeing you guys around the the dorms!" Shannon said with a smile.

"I don't think so, Shannon," Serena said, pointing her thumb towards another part of the island. "The Slifer dorm is that way and the Obelisk dorms are in other direction."

"She's right." Blossom agreed.

"We'll still see each other around school." The beast slayer said.

"True."

After a few quick 'see you later's', the gang went their separate ways to their new dorms.

 _Obelisk Girl Dorm_

Both of the Obelisk dorms were extravagant. All white with blue roofs. The grounds around the buildings; pristine. It looked like a _palace_. The girls stared at it with blank expressions. They walked inside to the main staircase area and had an even bigger feeling of deja vu.

"Does this look familiar?" Max deadpanned.

The others nodded. Since they all came from pretty wealthy families, this was nothing new with them. May was the only one slightly impressed, since she lived in her family's game shop.

The same feelings remained when they found their rooms. They were either the same size or bigger than their rooms back home. They had king sized beds, wide screen TV's, full-size kitchens, and full-size bathrooms with jacuzzi tubs.

They all set their things down in their rooms and met back up out in the hallway. "So, where to now?" Max asked.

"I want to go look around the school." Ziva said.

"Alright, why not?" Ally shrugged, before realizing they were down a girl. "Where's May?"

Not getting an answer, she headed toward the staircase. That's where she saw May talking to another girl. She had long hair in a ponytail like May, only her's was a cocoa brown and she had side bangs over her right eye. Said eyes were also a slate gray color and she wore the standard girl uniform.

They were talking like they had known each other for years. Ally decided to step in at that moment. "There you are May."

"Oh, Ally," May greeted before turning to the other girl. "This is Taryn, she lives next door to me."

"Nice to meet you!" Taryn smiled, reaching out for a handshake.

"You too." Ally nodded, returning it. She then turned to May. "Ziva wants to go look around, you want come?"

May shook her head. "No thanks, I'll pass. Taryn's going to help her friend move and said I'll come along, too."

Ally nodded. The girls came downstairs a moment later and they weren't alone. They had been joined by another girl in the standard uniform with long sandy blond hair.

"Hey, guys!" Kayla smiled. "Ready to go?"

Ally nodded before glancing at the newcomer. Kayla noticed her gaze. "Oh, this is Alexis. She was asked to go round up any stragglers for the welcome dinner. When we told her we were going to look around, she offered to come with us."

"Nice to meet you." Alexis smiled.

"You too. I'm Ally."

"May."

"Taryn."

"Well, we better get going if we want to see anything specific." Max spoke up.

With that, everyone was on their way.

 _Ra Dorm_

The Ra Yellow dorm looked like how a library looked from the outside. It was very clean and almost all yellow.

Liz, Serena, Lilly, Gina, Blossom, Karen, and Bastion headed inside and found that their rooms were all along the same hallway. After unlocking the doors, they opened to fair sized rooms, with beds by the window, desk and drawers for clothes, bathrooms by the entrance, and even small fridges and stoves for in room cooking.

"Nice!" Liz said. "Single rooms to ourselves with the standard essentials. All that's left is to unpack personal items."

"I like it!" Lilly exclaimed. "It's almost like my room back home!"

"All that's left to do is "christen the ship." Gina joked as he went to unpacking. After a while, they were done and met out in the hall.

"So, what should we do now?" Max asked, starting to get bored.

"I want to go look around the school." Serena said.

"Then that's what we'll do." Karen answered. "Hey, Bastion, you want to come, too?"

Bastion shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm going to be setting up my computer."

"Well, guess that just leaves us, so let's go!" Blossom said and ran ahead of the others, not seeing the person in front of her until they collided, both falling to the floor. "Whoa, sorry!"

The other girl had long auburn and brown eyes. She was wearing the standard Ra girl's uniform.

"It's okay," She said as she got up. "Where are you rushing off to anyway?"

"Going to go look around, the school." Gina said, as she, Bastion, and the other girls walked up behind Blossom. "You want to come with?"

"No thanks, I need to get some of my things unpacked." The brown eyed girl said, before heading to a room farther down the hall.

"Hey, wait!" Serena called, causing the stranger to stop. "What's your name? I'm Serena and this is Liz, Gina, Bastion, Max, Blossom, and Karen!"

The girl looked back slightly and answered, "Kaylee." Then she went into his room.

 _Slifer Dorm_

The four newly made Slifer reds headed in the direction Serena pointed out and found the dorm building. But the place hardly seemed like a dorm, it was more like an old motel with two floors and peeling paint.

Syrus had very different opinion about it. "This isn't a dorm, it's an outhouse with a deck!"

But the girls had no complaints, especially Jaylen, who was leaning against the railing looking at the ocean. "No way! I love the view!"

"Yeah, it's like the motels you see in the action movies where the good guys are hiding while on the run!" Julie mentioned, looking around the stairs.

"This place is great!" Shannon said, practically skipping up the stairs to look for her room. They split up to look for their roms.

"This one's ours, Sy." Jaylen said.

The room had a long, two-seater desk along the left wall, the window right across the room from the door, a three-person bunk bed along the right wall, and a small stove for cooking.

"The rooms are coed?" Syrus asked, blushing a little.

"Don't look in my stuff and we won't have a problem." Jaylen replied, walking over to the window and opening the curtains. "Let's get some light in here!"

"Hey! Those were closed for a reason!" Snapped someone from the top bunk, as the light streamed in.

"Sorry." Syrus said.

"Yeah, we didn't see you up there." Jaylen added.

"Well can you see me now?!" The covers were thrown back revealing an angry, heavy-set boy with a face and hair similar to a koala.

Syrus screamed in fear and latched onto Jaylen, startling her into almost losing her balance. "Will you stop your screaming! Who are you and what are you doing in my room!?"

"Ah, my name's Jaylen," Jaylen said, pushing Syrus off of her. "And this is Syrus. We're your new…" As she tried to explain herself, the boy in bed turned away from them. "...roommates?"

"You're new alright, so lemme tell you how things work around here," the grouchy boy muttered.

Syrus blinked. "Like when Parents Visit is?" he asked.

"Duh, the whole color thing, that's more important than anything," The koala-looking guy explained. "There are three types of students, the Obelisk Blue students, the Ra Yellow students, and the Slifer Red students. Now, the Obelisk Blue students are ranked the highest, some through grades, others through connections. The Ra Yellow kids are really gifted kids with lots of potential, and then...there's us, the Red Wonders…"

"The Wonders…" Syrus murmured. "That's a cool name."

The large boy continued. "As in 'I wonder how rejects like us even got this far'. Hate to tell you, but we're the bottom of the barrel."

Jaylen and Syrus looked at each other for a few moments, before the other boy said, "Oh, I'm Chumley by the way, nice to meet you."

Meanwhile, the girls had gone next door, because that was their room. It was the same as Jaylen's.

"So, what do you want to do until dinner?" Shannon asked after they put their luggage away.

"Knowing the others, they're probably going to go explore the school," Julie stated. "Let's go meet up with them."

"Sounds good!" Shannon nodded.

 _With the Ra girls at the main building_

The Ra girls made their way to the main building. As they walked, they met up with the Slifer girls, Jaylen, and Syrus, who Jaylen convinced to come along. They all noticed that Syrus had sour look on his face.

"What's the matter, Syrus?" Serena asked, curious.

"He's kicking himself because someone told him that Slifers were the lowest rank." Julie answered for him.

"Don't worry, Syrus, the year just started. You'll move up." Liz reassured him.

"Besides," Jaylen pointed out, "Slifer's an awesome Egyptian God. My personal favorite."

"Ally would fight you if she heard that, she's got a soft spot for her dad's Egyptian God!" Gina laughed.

"Well, either way, let's go explore!" Jaylen headed into the building, the others following her.

"Um, Jaylen, do you know where you're going?" Syrus asked.

"I'm going where the duel action is!"

"Guess she has a sixth sense for dueling." Liz said.

"I just hope we don't end up completely lost." Gina cracked.

The group soon came upon a large room, realizing it was an arena. The place was huge, with stands all around the walls, and a dueling platform in the middle with wires coming out of the base.

"Whoa, this is an awesome duel arena!" Jaylen said, looking around the place.

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter where you duel thanks to these duel disks." Julie noted.

"That's true." Karen agreed.

Syrus was looking at the field technology, when he suddenly became worried about something. "Are we allowed in here?"

"Sure, we're students here and this is our campus." Jaylen pointed out.

"Wrong. This is the Obelisk Blue campus. No Slifer slackers or Ra rejects aloud." They all turned to see two guys in Obelisk blazers. They were same guys who were hanging out with Chazz; Torimaki and Raizou.

"Oh, really?" Gina said, not liking these guys at all.

"That's right," Raizou pointed behind them. "Check out the crest!"

The group turned to see a large symbol in the shape of Obelisk the Tormentor's head above the entrance to the duel arena.

"This is Blue territory. No Reds or Yellows allowed!" Torimaki sneered.

Syrus shrank away from them. "Oh, sorry. We didn't know. We'll leave, right guys?" he asked, looking at Jaylen, practically begging her with his eyes.

The brunette shrugged. "Don't worry Sy, we don't have to leave. Not unless…" She turned to the Obelisk snobs with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "One of you guys agree to duel me. I'll be a guest duelist."

"Want to tag duel, Jaden?" Liz asked. "I love knocking guys like them off their high horses."

The blue haired student looked at Jaylen a moment. "Wait a minute, you're that kid!"

Before anyone could say anything, the brown haired snob turned to someone up in the stands. "Hey Chazz! The applicant who beat Dr. Crowler is here!"

The gang turned to see a taller boy in blue with spiky black hair and cold gray eyes staring down at them, specifically at Jaylen. She waved at him. "Hey, what up? I'm Jaylen and your name is uh … Chuzz was it?" She asked, looking at the Obelisk snobs with a slight smirk. The kid growled, knowing Jaylen had done that on purpose.

"He's Chazz Princeton and he was the number one duelist back at Duelist Prep School, so you be sure to pay him the proper respect!" The blue haired teen snapped.

His friend nodded. "He's gonna be the next King of Games, the best duelist in the world!".

Jaylen scoffed and crossed her arms. "Impossible!"

"Say what?" Raizou asked confused.

"It's impossible for him to be the next King of Games because I'm going to be the first Queen of Games." Jaylen explained with a grin.

"Careful, Jaylen, there are a few other people in this room who covet that title." Blossom mentioned with a devious smirk, one his father would have been proud of.

"I actually think that title is May's birthright." Lilly joked with a smile.

"The princess better be careful or she may end up losing her tiara to the pauper!" Julie joked with a laugh.

The Obelisk boys stared before laughing at what they heard, but for a not so nice reason.

"Oh, here we go…" Gina muttered.

The two boys then stopped laughing and then glared at Jaylen. "You? A Slifer Slacker, the Queen of Games? That'll be the day!"

Gina made a move to _do something_ , but stopped when Serena shot him a look that said 'no'. Gina backed down but was not happy about it. She wanted to teach these two a lesson.

"Can it, you two!" A cold voice snapped. Chazz walked down the ramp a bit to get into their view some more. "Maybe the new kid has a point."

"Uh, whatcha mean Chazz?" Torimaki asked, confused.

"She did beat Crowler after all … and that legendary monster of his. Plus, I guess it takes some skill." Jaylen didn't say anything, knowing that an insult was going to come out of that. "Or was it luck? I say we figure that right now."

Jaylen looked Chazz dead in the eye. "Bring it!"

"Hey Syrus, we should sell tickets for this!" Liz joked.

Syrus of course didn't get it, but the others did, which caused a laugh.

"Well, this certainly is a motley crew." Said a new voice.

They all turned to see the Obelisks of the group along with another Obelisk walking towards them. The unknown Obelisk was a girl with long sandy blond hair. Her name was Alexis Rhodes.

"Wow… who's she?" Syrus asked.

Gina shrugged. "I don't know."

Chazz smirked, "Hey, Alexis. You come to watch me mop the floor with me new friend Jaylen? I promise it'll be a short match, but an entertaining one."

"Obviously you're not above picking on girls." Max deadpanned, making Chazz blush and a few of the girls snicker.

Alexis crossed her arms and lightly glared at him. "I came to remind you guys about the Obelisk's Welcome Dinner, you're late."

"Oh, yeah," Chazz mumbled, getting up and walking away. "Come on guys." The other two followed him.

"Sorry if Chazz rubbed you the wrong way," Alexis said as she turned toward the group still there. "Not all us Obelisks are like that. He's just a jerk, especially with Slifers."

"Ah, it's no big deal," Julie said in a laid back tone. "Types like them don't bother us much."

Alexis looked at him, surprised at the reaction. "Besides, I could take him down in one turn."

"Really, Julie?" Jaylen asked, getting a sly grin. "I'm sure I could beat him with my eyes closed."

Everyone started laughing at Slifers' antics, including Alexis and Syrus.

Alexis then remembered something. "Oh, the Slifer Welcoming Dinner is starting too."

Jaylen smirked, deviously. "Well then, we better get there before the food's gone. Race ya!" She said, then dashed for the exit tunnel.

"Hey, no fair!" Shannon complained, running after her, along with Julie.

"Hey, wait up!" Syrus called as he ran after the the girls.

Just before they left, Jaylen stopped and turned back to the female Obelisk. "By the way, what was your name again?" She asked.

Alexis blinked, surprised, then smiled. "Alexis Rhodes! And you are?"

"Jaylen Yuki! The two rushing ahead of me are Shannon and Julie!" She replied, then realized what she said. "See ya around!"

"Why didn't you introduce me?" Syrus asked running after her.

"Jaylen…" Alexis whispered, testing out the name.

Liz laughed. "This is going to be an awesome year."

"Uh, you guys might want to get going too." Alexis said, looking at the Ra's of the group.

Gina got an 'oh crud' look on her face. "Oh snap! The Ra dinner, Bastion was on our case about this! Okay, quick intro, I'm Gina, this is Liz, Serena, Lilly, Blossom, and Karen, nice to meet ya, have a nice time! Bye!"

Gina then dashed out of the arena, the Ra's she had introduced right on her heels. Gina was yelling a few profanities and Serena was covering her ears so she couldn't hear them.

"Well this year will be fun." Ziva muttered, with a smile.

"We should probably get going, too." Ally pointed out.

The girls nodded, walking out of the arena, but then Ally turned to Alexis. "Are you coming, Alexis?"

Alexis shook her head. "Not yet. I still have to round up anyone else still hanging around."

"Okay, I'll see you there." Ally said, walking away.

Alexis watched her go thinking that things were going to be interesting this year.

 _Obelisk Girl Dorm_

Later that evening, all the welcome dinners had started. The dinner at the blue dorm was like a fancy ball, with gourmet food, punch bowls and classical music being played by actual musicians in the background.

Ziva was sitting by a window, staring out at the beautiful, fullmoon night. She had a small plate of hors d'oeuvres next to her that she nibbling on, feeling slightly out of place. She had been to parties before, but it felt weird not having her family or friends there. Outside the group, she was pretty shy.

"Not a big party fan?" The cat girl turned to see the girl they had met earlier, Alexis, walk over to her and sit beside her.

"Not really," She answered, still looking out the window. "It just feels weird being at one without my friends here."

Before Alexis could say something, another voice called out to them. They turned to see Ally, Max, Kayla, Ziva, Taryn, and two other girls Ziva had never met before walking over to them. The first unknown girl had brown hair and gray eyes and second girl had black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes.

"Hey, Ziva!" Taryn said, coming over.

"Hi, Taryn. Did you find your friend?" Ziva asked, happy to see her new friend.

"Yup, with May's help we got done faster than we thought we would." Taryn answered.

The girls sat down and after a few introductions they started talking about a wide range of topics which eventually led to the topic of boys.

"So, any boys here catch your eye?" Taryn asked with a sly smile.

"Not really." Max responded.

"I wouldn't touch a couple of those boys with a ten foot pole." May stated casually.

"Ohhhh, I saw this Obelisk boy earlier today..." The black haired girl, Mindy, mentioned excitedly.

"I saw him too, he was hot!" The other girl, Jasmine, interjected.

Ziva turned and stared out the window at the night sky. She'd never thought much about romance or crushes, none of the girls in the group had.

"Helloooo? Earth to Ziva," Ziva blinked and looked to Mindy who had asked her something. "I said have you seen anybody interesting?"

"Not really…" The cat girl responded, still kind of half in her thoughts.

 _Ra Yellow Dorm_

At the Ra Yellow dorm, the dinner wasn't as glamorous as the blues' dinner but they still had a great dinner with food you would find at a five star restaurant. And surprisingly, the headmaster was the one who cooked it.

Liz took a seat next to Bastion with Gina sitting on the other side of him. Serena was seated closer to the front near the headmaster while Lilly, Blossom, and Karen were seated farther to the other end.

The girl they had met earlier, Kaylee, was seated near Serena, along with a friend of her's named Patrick. He has short dark blue head and red eyes, and wore the standard guy's uniform. They were also joined by another man named Jacob. He had orange-red hair and ocean blue eyes, wearing the standard uniform.

Lilly was sitting with two other girls named Destini and Michelle. Destini had ginger hair in twin buns and cyan eyes. Michelle had long magenta hair and matching eyes. Both wore the standard girl's uniforms.

That's when the headmaster of Ra dorm, Professor Satyr, a middle aged man with thick Spanish accent stood at the head of the table. "Hola amigos! I am Professor Satyr and welcome to a new year at Duel Academy! For those who freshmen, welcome to your first year, and to those who are upperclassmen, welcome back. Now without further adieu, let's dig in! Cheers to Ra Yellow!"

With that everyone started eating.

 _Slifer Red Dorm_

At the Slifer dorm, the food was basically take out. It was basically a small bowl of rice, and sardines with sauce. Naturally, most of the Slifers were complaining.

"This our big, fancy welcome dinner?" One complained to no one in particular.

"Forget the dinner, look at our headmaster! It's a cat!" Another said pointing at a fat, brown tabby taking a snooze at the front of the room.

That joke died when a tall skinny man with long black hair in a ponytail and small round glasses came into the dining area. He seemed nice, and at least he didn't look like Crowler. He was soon joined by Midori.

"Hello children, My name is Professor Banner," He greeted in a pleasant tone, then gesturing to the lady next to him. "And this is Ms. Hibiki."

"Welcome everyone!" She greeted.

"Before we eat, I would like everyone to say something about themselves, and you may bad mouth Dr. Crowler if you so wish. What is said here will never leave this room." Banner spoke earnestly.

Instantly, everyone liked him, because come on, a teacher had just given them permission to talk bad about another teacher. Though things quickly evolved into a conversation around the room about how weird Crowler was and everyone just started eating anyway.

Jaylen was only half listening to what was being said. She was going back and forth between her own thoughts and texting her mom on her cellphone. She was worried about her step-dad, he seemed really run down when she left.

Midori noticed Jay's distracted look and discreetly sent her a text, saying everything was okay. Jaylen saw the text and smiled over at her aunt, who acted like a big sister to her. Things were going to be okay in this school.

 _Some Time Later_

Later that evening in the red dorm, Jaylen was relaxing in her room with her roommates and Shannon. Julie had gone out for a walk, which is what Shannon said. Really, she's out patrolling for beasts.

"Boy, Professor Banner sure can cook."

"Yeah, and he seems like a pretty nice guy as well," Syrus agreed, coming over to where the boys were sitting with a tray of tea mugs. "Ms. Hibiki seems nice, too."

Chumley was up in his bunk like he was sleeping, but he was awake.

"Yeah, they're good people!" Shannon agreed, taking one of cups. "Thanks, Sy!"

Jaylen also took one.

"Hey, Chumley, want some tea?" Sy asked the grouchy boy on the top bunk.

"Did I say I was thirsty?" Chumley responded rudely, turning away from them.

"Hey, he just asked if you wanted some tea, no need to snap at him!" Jaylen scolded.

"That's okay, Jaylen. I'm used to it." Syrus said glumly.

Shannon made a mental note to help Syrus grow a backbone.

"Duh, tea makes you wet the bed!" Chumley argued, then realized what he was implying. "Not that I do or ever did…I mean…whatever I'm trying to sleep!"

Jaylen's phone then started playing the song _Where Dreams Begin_. "Oh, they're done!"

She turned off the alarm and went over to the little baking area. She put on some oven mitts and took a cookie sheet out of the oven.

"What 'cha baking, Jaylen?" Shannon asked, setting his tray down.

"Oh, nothing, just some snickerdoodles." The Yuki girl said proudly, putting them onto a plate.

Syrus and Shannon looked at each other and then each took one to taste.

"Wow! These are delicious!" Syrus exclaimed.

"You're amazing, Jaylen!" Shannon praised, taking another.

"Thanks! You want a cookie, Chumley?" Jaylen asked looking at the top bunk.

Chumley turned over and looked at her for a moment before taking one. She laughed when she got the same reaction as the others. "Good aren't they?"

"Will you marry me?" Chumley asked absently, not realizing what he had just said until the others laughed.

"Whaaaaat?" Jaylen said, pretending to be shocked.

"No! I didn't mean that!" Chum tried to argue, but everyone was laughing too hard to hear.

"What's so funny?" Julie asked, entering the room. She was wearing jogging clothes and panting pretty hard, so from the outside point of view it looked like she had a long jog.

"You'd have to have been here." Shannon said.

"Hey, Julie, want a bedtime treat?" Jay greeted, holding out the plate.

"Oh, thanks," Julie took one, and once she ate it her eyes lit up. "Wow, this is the best thing to ever happen in my mouth."

This got a laugh from everyone again. The laughter was paused when a beeping, ring like sound was heard. In the quiet, Jaylen realized it was her PDA signaling she had a video message. Checking it, Chazz's face showed up along with the message.

 _"Hey, Slifer Slacker, don't think you're off the hook, tonight at midnight it's on. Oh, and why don't we make it interesting. Whoever wins, gets the other guys best card."_ With that the video message ended.

"I was wondering how long it would take for this to happen," Jaylen said, closing her PDA. "Looks like I get to duel at that arena after all."

"If that's Chazz your dueling all you've got is trouble." Chumley pointed out.

"He's right Jaylen," Julie added, looking serious. "I've heard of him, he's good. He's probably one of only a few Obelisks who can put their decks where their mouths are."

Jaylen just smirked. "Well, so can I."

She put the plate down to get her duel disk. "You guys don't need to come with me."

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Jaylen." Syrus said, nervous for his new friend.

"I'm with Sy on this one Jay." The Fairy duelist agreed, and she was usually the one who would rush in head first into something like this.

Jaylen strapped her duel disk on as she spoke. "Good or bad, when someone challenges you to a duel you gotta step up. There's no choice."

Syrus made an unsure sound, but didn't say anything else. Jaden turned to the Slifer group and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"I'm coming with you," Julie said, leaving no room for argument. "I don't want you going alone."

The two brunettes stared at each other before Jaylen agreed. "Alright, let's go!"

"Cover for us." Julie looked at Shannon, who nodded. She grabbed two more cookies as she walked out the door.

 _Obelisk Arena_

The girls reached the arena and found Chazz and his flunkies on the other side of the arena.

"Well, well, well, she showed." Chazz commented.

"You better believe it. I don't back down from challenge." Jaylen walked over and climbed onto the dueling platform.

Chazz did the same.

Julie moved over to the side.

"Time to find out if you beating Dr. Crowler was a fluke or a fact." Chazz said.

"Yeah, well we're going to find something else out, too," Jaylen responded. "Like which of us is truly worthy of the title of King of Games."

"Yeah, yeah, just be sure to have your best card ready to hand over when you lose." Chazz sneered.

"You too." Jaylen said, going into battle mode. "Now game on!"

Both duel disks were now on and their hands had been drawn.

"Duel!" Both called.

Chazz: 4000  
Jaylen: 4000

"Alright, Slacker," Chazz drew his card and looked over his hand. "For my first move, I'll summon Reborn Zombie in defense mode."

Appearing was a decaying zombie wearing a tattered cloak with gray hair and no eyes. Also, the bones on its right hand and foot were visible (1000/1600).

"And I also play one card face down." A facedown card appeared behind the zombie.

"I'm up!" Jaylen said. She drew her card and looked over her hand.

As she was thinking, she heard a familiar _coo_ sound and looked to see that her Kuriboh card had moved a little as if peeking out from hiding. _'Hey, good to see you, Winged Kuriboh. I'm going to think that drawing you my first turn was a good omen. I'll use you later, but first...'_

"I use Polymerization, fusing Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix!" The hero duelist held up the cards of the two aforementioned heroes before they appeared in a flash of light. They then jumped into the air and started to glow.

"Now, appearing to defend those in need, here is Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" After a bright flash, in the place where the last two heroes stood, stood the monster from Jaylen's first duel (2100/1200).

"I don't usually go on the offensive first, but there's a first time for everything."

Chazz just smirked. "I was hoping you'd do that…"

"Why's that?" Jaylen asked, not liking the sound of that at all.

"Because the card I played face down was a trap card, Slacker, that you set off!" Chazz gloated. "Chthonian Polymer, do your stuff!" The face down rose up to show a picture of a man wrapped in flames.

Jaylen growled, she hated being outfoxed.

"What's that do?" Julie wondered out loud.

"I had a feeling I'd find you guys here." Julie glanced back and noticed Alexis walking towards them.

"Alexis?" Julie asked, surprised at seeing the Obelisk girl.

"Chthonian Polymer is a nasty trap. It allows you to take control of an opponent's fusion monster by sacrificing one of your own creatures." Alexis explained.

"Oh, crap, Jaylen just played one!" Julie cursed.

"I sacrifice Reborn Zombie to gain control of your Wingman!" Chazz said, smugly.

His monster burst in a flash of light. Then Jaylen's favorite hero disappeared in a smaller light flash and reappeared on Chazz's side of the field. Only it's colors were darker and it had a dark raging aura around him.

"Uh, my monster!" Jaylen grunted.

"How did Chazz know to play that?" Julie muttered.

"You're so predictable, Jaylen. You wouldn't stop talking about that Wingman at the exams, so I knew you'd use it soon." Chazz said like he knew everything, which annoyed Jaylen greatly.

"Still, since that Wingman was a special summon, that means I'm allowed to summon another monster during my turn," Jaylen countered, looking back at her hand. _'Not that anything in my hand is a match for the Wingman…'_

Chazz was smirking up a storm. He had the monster responsible for Crowler's defeat on his side of the field and he was enjoying every minute of it.

 _'Go on you Slifer Slacker, play another monster. After all, I haven't forgotten the Flame Wingman's super power!'_ He thought deviously as Jaylen choose another card.

"All right, I summon Elemental Hero Ice Edge in defense mode!" Jaylen declared as she summoned a child-like hero in a blue bodysuit with white gauntlets, a spiky white headdress, spiky white shoulder plates, white boots, and green eyes (800/900).

"Then, I place one card face down," Jaylen finished. "There…all set."

Chazz drew his next card. "Yeah, setup to get knocked down! Rise, Chthonian Soldier!"

A man in dark armor with a large sword appeared next to the stolen Wingman (1200/1400).

"And now, Flame Wingman, attack with Skydive Scorcher!" The winged hero jumped into the air, flames covering its body, and dived down at the little hero.

"I activate my trap, Negate Attack! This ends the battle right here!" Jaylen said.

Chazz growled, but kept his composure. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Jaylen drew her card. "First, I play Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards!"

"Then, I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman!" This hero appeared human wearing a blue and gold suit with a curved blue helmet (1600/1400).

"Next, I'll switch Ice Edge to attack mode and activate his special ability. By discarding one card, he can attack you directly." Ice Edge dashed forward and punched Chazz in the gut.

Chazz: 3200  
Jaylen: 4000

"Also, when Ice Edge inflicts damage from a direct attack, I can destroy one of your facedowns." Jaylen added.

Chazz growled as his facedown was destroyed.

"Alright, Sparkman! Attack with Static Shockwave!" The new hero shot a bolt of electricity at the dark armor monster and destroyed it.

Chazz: 2800  
Jaylen: 4000

As the smoke cleared, the soldier's sword rose above them and flew straight at Jaylen, hitting her in the stomach. Jaylen almost doubled over from the pain, but managed to stay on her feet.

"Surprise, Slacker! When Chthonian Soldier is destroyed, you take the same amount of damage to your life points that I did."

Chazz: 2800  
Jaylen: 3600

"You're still in this, Hero Girl!" Julie said.

Jaylen nodded. "This isn't over, Chazz! I set one card face down and end my turn!"

"Play what you want!" Chazz said, drawing another card. "Go, Flame Wingman, attack Jaylen's Ice Edge!"

Flame Wingman's body began to be covered in flames again.

Jaylen smirked. "I don't think so! I activate my trap!"

"A trap?" Chazz said incredulously.

"It's Mirror Gate!" Julie said.

"Then Jaylen's still in this duel after all." Alexis deduced. "Mirror Gate makes two monsters in a battle switch which side they're on. So, that Wingman is back with Jaylen."

As she was talking, Ice Edge appeared on Chazz's side of the field and Flame Wingman appeared on Jaylen's side. The two heroes leapt at each other and grappled in the air, with sparks of both their powers flying. It didn't take long for Ice Edge to succumb to defeat and be destroyed.

"NOOOO!" Chazz cried as he lost his advantage and some life points.

Chazz: 1500  
Jaylen: 3600

"And don't forget my Wingman's super power! You take damage equal to the attack points of your destroyed monster!" Jaylen reminded him as Wingman sent remains of Ice Edge's power back at Chazz, who yelled in pain as his life points dropped.

Chazz: 700  
Jaylen: 3600

"Guess Chazz isn't as good as he thinks he is." Julie smirked.

"Nice moves, Jaylen." Alexis praised.

"More like lucky moves if you ask me, you Slifer school scum." Chazz retorted, glaring daggers at Jaylen as he played his next card.

"Alright, I activate Chthonian Blast! Since you destroyed one of my monsters I get to destroy one of yours and you take damage equal to half of it's attack points." A tornado formed around Flame Wingman and then he burst into pixels.

Chazz: 700  
Jaylen: 2550

"Flame Wingman!" Jaylen gritted as her monster was destroyed.

"Now, I activate the trap card Call of the Haunted!" Chazz continued as his second face down popped up revealing a haunted graveyard. "It lets me select on monster that's in my graveyard and summon it back to the field in attack mode. Rise Chthonian Soldier!"

The dark armored warrior reappeared on the field (1200/1400).

"But he won't be staying on the field for long, because I'm going to sacrifice him to summon Mefist the Infernal General!" Chthonian Soldier burst into pixels and then a dark armored, mounted horseman with a giant ax appeared (1800/1700).

"Now, attack her Sparkman!" His general charged forward and swung his axe, cutting Sparkman in half.

Chazz: 700  
Jaylen: 2350

"And because my general inflicted damage, you have to discard a card from your hand." Chazz added and Jaylen discarded a card. "I'll end my turn with that."

"Not bad." Jaylen commented, looking at the mounted horseman in front of her.

"Not bad?" Chazz looked at him before continuing. "You're something else, you know that Slacker? Acting all confident, but your lousy monsters won't get you out of this jam."

"Wanna bet?" Jaylen asked, drawing a card.

She looked at her cards and heard Winged Kuriboh call out to her, telling her to play him.

"Alright, I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode and end my turn." The winged furball came to the field (300/200).

Chazz drew his card. "I summon another Chthonian Soldier to the field in attack mode."

Another dark armored warrior appeared on the field (1200/1400).

"Next, I activate Monster Reborn and bring Reborn Zombie back from the grave in attack mode." A familiar decaying zombie reappeared on the field (1000/1600).

"Now, Chthonian Soldier, attack that furball!" Chazz ordered and his warrior attacked, destroying the smaller monster.

"Reborn Zombie and Mefist the Infernal General, attack Jaden directly!" Chazz finished and his monsters went at Jaylen.

Just as their attacks were about to hit, a gold shield around Jaylen and the attacks bounced off. "What the?! Why didn't my attacks go through?!"

"It's Winged Kuriboh's special ability," Jaylen explained. "On the turn he's destroyed, I take no damage."

Chazz scoffed. "So you last one more turn. It won't help you."

Jaylen looked at the last two cards in her hand, before hearing Winged Kuriboh call out from the graveyard. _'I know he's wrong Winged Kuriboh, because you, me, and the rest of my monsters share a bond that Chazz won't ever be able to break.'_

She drew her next card and smiled slightly. _'And speaking of bonds…'_

Before Jaylen could make her move, Alexis turned to the entrance, thinking she had heard footsteps. When she confirmed she had she turned back to the group with wide eyes. "Uh, Guys! We've got company! Campus Security! If they find us all in here we'll get seriously busted!"

"What?" Julie yelped, but she would have denied it.

"Why?" Jaylen said, looking back at her. "I mean, we're all students here."

Alexis huffed and pulled out her PDA. "The rules say no off hour arena duels! Chazz knows that but lemme guess he didn't tell?"

Said Obelisk blushed at being found out.

"C'mon, let's go!" The blue haired Obelisk leaned forward from he was watching, the other one looking scared at the thought of getting caught.

"Well, well, Slacker, looks like you lucked out this time." Chazz said, turning to leave.

"This isn't over, Chazz." Jaylen said seriously, turning off her duel disk.

"You're right, it's not." Chazz then hopped off the platform and walked out the arena.

Jaylen then followed Alexis and Julie out of the arena, shutting the lights off on the way out. It was like no one was ever in there. After a while, they made it to the entrance of the main building.

"Thanks for showing me the back way out, Alexis." Julie said.

"Sure, I'm sorry you didn't get to finish your match with Chazz." The Obelisk female smiled.

"It's okay, I know just how it would have ended anyway." Jaylen replied casually.

"Really?" Alexis asked, Jaylen turning to look at her. "No offense but from my point of view, it looked like it could have gone either way between you and Chazz before you guys stopped."

"Not after I drew this." Jaden showed her the card he had drawn before they had to make a run for it.

It was the spell card Monster Reborn.

Alexis gasped and Jaylen smirked. She would have summoned Flame Wingman back to the field and destroyed Mefist, taking Chazz out with it. Julie smiled, impressed.

"See ya." Jay said, she and Julie heading back to the dorm.

She watched them leave before smiling slightly. _'This is going to be an interesting year.'_

 **Finally, this is done! Sorry it took so long, it was really long! Hopefully it won't take so much time with the next chapter. Like always, read, review, and stay tuned!**


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